Roast Chicken with Pancetta

ingredients

2 3-pound chickens, cut in half down the centre to lay flat, cut into pieces or just start with chicken pieces, if you prefer
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 1/2 Tbsp. chopped fresh thyme
1 Tbsp. chopped fresh rosemary
1 Tbsp. fine sea salt
1/2 to 1 tsp. hot red-pepper flakes
10 garlic cloves, peeled
2 (1/4-inch-thick) slices pancetta, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 cup dry white wine
24 oil-cured black olives

method

Preheat oven to 450°F with the oven rack in middle.

Toss the chicken with oil, thyme, rosemary, sea salt, red-pepper flakes, and 1 teaspoon of pepper, rubbing the mixture into chicken.

Arrange the chicken, skin side up, in 1 layer in a 17-by 11-inch 4-sided sheet or broiler pan. Scatter the garlic and pancetta on top and roast until chicken begins to brown, about 20 minutes. Drizzle wine over the chicken and roast 8 minutes more. Scatter olives over chicken and roast until skin is golden brown and chicken is cooked through, 15 to 20 minutes more. Let stand 10 minutes.

Note: To cut a whole chicken into pieces, remove wings and cut each breast half into 3 pieces, then separate drumsticks and thighs. Backbones can be used to make chicken stock.

Adapted from a Gourmet magazine recipe