Crispy rosemary and garlic chicken thighs baked with spicy Calabrian nduja, finished with a bright gremolata of parsley, lemon and garlic. This simple, flavour-packed dish is perfect with roast potatoes or grilled vegetables.
Nduja is a soft, spreadable Calabrian salami with a spicy kick. It works well stirred into pasta sauces, as a pizza topping, or served simply with burrata. For this recipe, the nduja is loosened and spread on the chicken toward the end of cooking to avoid burning, then finished with a zesty gremolata to add freshness.
You can find nduja at Italian delis or buy it online. Any leftover nduja freezes well and can be used later in sauces, on pizza or as a flavour boost in many dishes.
Ingredients
Nduja consistency
Nduja is naturally soft, but if it’s firm you’ll need to loosen it to a spreadable paste. Place it in a bowl and mash with a fork, adding about 1 tablespoon of hot water at a time until it softens. If your nduja comes in a jar it will likely already be loose enough.
Serving suggestions
Serve this chicken with Italian roast potatoes or any roasted or grilled vegetables. Grilled zucchini and peppers are especially good alongside, and a simple arugula salad with lemon and Parmigiano makes a bright, peppery accompaniment.
More nduja recipes to try
Breakfast
Nduja Eggs in Purgatory (Eggs in Tomato Sauce)
Pasta
Creamy nduja Pasta with Baby Spinach
Pizza
Nduja Pizza with Burrata, Parmesan and Basil
Fish & Seafood
Scallops with nduja Garlic Butter
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Nduja Baked Chicken
By Emily
Ingredients
- 8 chicken thighs (about 1.4kg / 3lbs)
- 55 g (2 oz) nduja salami
- 2 sprigs rosemary, finely chopped
- 4 garlic cloves (3 for roasting, 1 for gremolata)
- 1 large handful fresh parsley (about ½ cup)
- Zest of ½ lemon
- Olive oil
- Salt
Instructions
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Preheat the oven to 190℃/375℉ fan or 210℃/410℉ static.
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Place the chicken in a large roasting tray and season both sides with salt. Sprinkle over the chopped rosemary and add 3 garlic cloves (skins left on). Drizzle with olive oil and rub it over the chicken. Roast for 35 minutes.
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While the chicken roasts, place the nduja in a bowl and add about 1 tablespoon of hot water. Mash with a fork until it loosens to a paste. Add a little more hot water if needed. (If your nduja is jarred it may already be soft enough.)
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Remove the chicken from the oven and spread the nduja over the skin. Return to the oven for another 10 minutes. Remove and let rest while you prepare the gremolata.
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Finely chop the parsley, the remaining peeled garlic clove and the lemon zest together. Sprinkle the gremolata over the chicken and serve.
Notes
Storage: Keeps in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat in the oven covered with foil at 180℃/350℉ for 10–15 minutes until heated through, or enjoy at room temperature.
Helpful info for all recipes
- I use extra virgin olive oil in recipes unless stated otherwise.
- All vegetables are medium sized unless noted.
- Recipes are tested using a fan (convection) oven unless otherwise stated.
- Nutrition is automatically calculated and should be treated as an approximation.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is an approximation.