Ingredients

Servings 4

• 2 lb chicken
• 1 ¼ cups Academia Barilla IGP Toscano Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• juice of 1 lemon
• 1 oz parsley
• 1 clove of garlic
• 1 sprig rosemary
• 1 bay leaf
• salt to taste
• white pepper to taste
• 3 eggs
• all-purpose flour to taste
• frying oil to taste

Preparation

20 minutes preparation + 15 minutes cooking

Carefully wash and dry the chicken. Cut into 8 pieces.

Prepare a marinade by add the oil, lemon juice, parsley, crushed garlic, rosemary, chopped bay leaf, salt and white pepper in a small bowl. Mix together using a fork. Emerge the chicken in the marinade and let sit for a couple of hours, stirring every so often.

In the meantime, mix together the eggs and enough flour to make a light, not very dense, frying batter.

Remove the chicken from the marinade, then cover with the batter. Cook the chicken by completely emerging it in a pan of boiling oil. Once well cooked and golden in color, remove the chicken pieces using a skimmer and place them on a plate lined with paper towels.
Season your Florentine chicken with a pinch of salt and garnish with a chopped parsley and lemon slices.

Serve hot.

Food History

Although it seems as though chickens were farm raised for the first time almost 5,000 years ago in South East Asia, they were most likely used for chicken fights and not as food. It wasn’t until the 6th century AD that people began to eat chicken meat. It was at this time that chickens were introduced to Europe, first to Greece and then to the Ancient Roman territories. It was in Rome where chicken actually became a sought after culinary ingredient. Chicken meat was considered something special and served at the luxurious banquets of the emperor. During the Middle Ages, however, the consumption of chicken waned due to the increase in popularity of larger animals and more striking birds like peacocks and pheasant. Chicken did not become a prized ingredient again until the 15th century, when it was served roasted, boiled or stuffed on the tables of nobles. Up until the 19th century, chicken remained expensive and only the richest families could afford it. During this century, people began to cage-raise chickens, causing the price to go down and allowing people for all social classes to enjoy it.  Chicken quickly became one of the most common meats.

Other suggested recipes

• Chicken Marengo 
• Chicken stew with tomatoes  
• Chicken with sage