How Italian's Eat Chicken...

... And no it's not on pizza or in pasta sauce!

If there is one culinary boundary that causes an Italian chef to hold their heart in dramatic despair, it is the sight of diced chicken scattered across a pizza or folded into a steaming bowl of fettuccine.

In the UK and North America, chicken pasta and BBQ chicken pizza are beloved comfort foods. But step into a kitchen in Rome, Florence, or Naples, and you will quickly discover that chicken and pasta live strictly separate lives.

To cook like a true Italian, it helps to understand why this rule exists—and, more importantly, how Italians actually prepare chicken to bring out its absolute best — let Carluccio's show you...

The Rule of the Italian Meal Structure

The secret behind why chicken never meets pasta or pizza comes down to the traditional layout of an Italian meal:

• Il Primo (First Course): The starchy baseline of the meal—pasta, risotto, or soup. A primo is designed to showcase the pasta shape, the grain, or a delicate sauce. Meat in a primo is typically ground into a slow-cooked ragù or cured (like guanciale or pancetta) to render out flavour and coat the pasta.

• Il Secondo (Second Course): The main protein event—fish, beef, pork, or poultry. Chicken belongs firmly here, served alongside seasonal vegetables or roasted potatoes (contorni).

Putting a heavy protein like a whole chicken breast into a pasta bowl overloads the dish and clashes with the texture of delicate pasta. As for pizza? Pizza toppings in Italy are meant to cook quickly and evenly in a high-heat oven without releasing excess moisture that makes the dough soggy.

3 Authentic Ways Italians Cook Chicken

When chicken takes centre stage as a secondo, Italian home cooks rely on time-honoured techniques that keep the meat succulent and brimming with fresh flavour.

1. Pollo alla Cacciatora ("Hunter's Style Chicken")

Originating as a rustic dish for hunters returning from a long day, this classic Tuscan recipe slow-simmers chicken on the bone with garlic, fresh herbs, tomatoes, and a generous splash of Italian wine. The long, low braise tenderises the chicken until it falls off the bone, creating a rich, savoury gravy that is mopped up with crusty bread (fare la scarpetta).

2. Pollo al Mattone ("Chicken Under a Brick")

Hailing from Tuscany, this technique involves spatchcocking a whole chicken, marinating it with fresh rosemary, garlic, sea salt, and cold-pressed extra virgin olive oil, and cooking it in a heavy skillet under the weight of a heavy brick (or cast-iron pan). The weight presses the skin flat against the hot surface, creating extraordinarily crisp skin while locking in the juices.

3. Petto di Pollo al Limone (Lemon Chicken Cutlets)

For a quick weeknight dinner, thinly sliced chicken breasts (scaloppine) are lightly dredged in flour and flash-fried in a pan with butter and olive oil. The pan is then deglazed with fresh lemon juice to create a bright, glossy sauce that coats the tender chicken cutlets in minutes.

The Golden Rule: In authentic Italian cooking, simpler is always better. When you start with high-quality poultry and exceptional olive oil, you don't need complex sauces to create a memorable meal.

Elevate Your Chicken Dishes with the Carluccio’s Larder

The beauty of Italian cooking lies in using a few exceptional ingredients to transform a humble dish. You can upgrade your poultry recipes using authentic pantry staples straight from our online deli:

• Carluccio’s Extra Virgin Olive Oil (Calabria): Cold-pressed within hours of harvest, this green, peppery oil makes the ultimate base for marinades or for finishing roasted chicken.

• Olio al Limone (Lemon Olive Oil): Infused with fresh Italian lemons, a drizzle over pan-seared chicken cutlets creates an instant, aromatic pan-sauce.

• Aceto Balsamico di Modena IGP: Add a few drops of our aged balsamic vinegar right at the end of roasting to add a rich, glossy complexity to pan juices.

• Calabrian ’Nduja: For those who love a bit of heat, melt a spoonful of this spreadable spicy salami into your cacciatora base for an authentic Southern Italian kick.

You'll find the ingredients above in our amazing online deli today!