Italian Roast Chicken Recipe with Peppers, Leeks, Olives, Capers and Thyme

Our Italian roast chicken recipe with peppers, olives and capers makes succulent chicken quarters roasted on a bed of leeks and red and green peppers with plump black olives, briny capers and sprigs of fresh thyme. The slow-cooked chicken is incredibly delicious and will fill your home with the sweet scent of roasted peppers.

If you’re a lover of roast chicken that is so moist it falls from the bone and melts in your mouth, you’re going to adore this Italian roast chicken recipe with peppers, leeks, olives, capers and thyme – especially if you enjoyed our Spanish style braised chicken with olives and capers or Italian chicken cacciatore.

If you’re looking for en elegant chicken dish for a special dinner, then this Italian roast chicken recipe is worthy of your consideration. Not only is it a foolproof set-and-forget chicken dish, so you can focus your time on your loved-one, not the oven, it will fill your home with warm, welcoming and comforting aromas.

While this Italian roast chicken is perfectly satisfying with the leeks and red and green capsicums, you could always serve sides of crunchy Hassleback potatoes or creamy mashed potatoes and we have lots more recipes for vegetable side dishes.

But before I share my Italian roast chicken recipe with peppers, olives and capers, we have a favour to ask. Grantourismo is reader-supported. If you’ve enjoyed our recipes, please consider supporting Grantourismo by buying something on Amazon, such as classic cookbooks for serious cooks, cookbooks for culinary travellers or cookbooks by Australian chefs; buy a handcrafted KROK, the best mortar and pestle ever; or shop our Grantourismo store for gifts for food lovers designed with Terence’s mouthwatering images.

Now let’s tell you more about this Italian roast chicken recipe with peppers, olives and capers.

Italian Roast Chicken Recipe with Peppers, Olives, Capers and Thyme

You’re going to love this Italian roast chicken recipe with peppers, olives, capers and thyme if you’re a lover of roast chicken that is so moist it falls from the bone and melts in your mouth. Especially if you cooked and enjoyed our Spanish style braised chicken with olives and capers or Italian chicken cacciatore recipes.

All three chicken recipes make very delicious chicken dishes and they’re foolproof set-and-forget chicken recipes at that. We pulled the chicken out of the oven at the perfect time for the photo shoot but reheated it later that night.

When we slid the Dutch Oven out the vegetables were bubbling in the juices and were almost caramelised and while the chicken skin was browner and crispier, the meat was amazingly moist.

So don’t be concerned if you need to roast the chicken for longer, just turn down the heat and turn the music up. I only have a few tips to making this roast chicken recipe.

Tips to Making this Italian Roast Chicken Recipe with Peppers, Olives, Capers and Thyme

I only have a few tips to making this Italian roast chicken recipe with peppers, olives, capers and thyme. We use the lid of our cast iron Dutch oven to roast this chicken. It has even heat, stays hot for longer than a tray or sheet pan, and is easy to clean.

We’re not using bell peppers (capsicums) for this dish, but the smaller elongated peppers that have a lot more chilli-style kick. We de-seed them but we add chilli flakes to this dish to get a little more bite in the sauce, which you’re going to want to spoon over your finished vegetables. It’s so delicious.

A quick note on leeks. Our local leeks don’t appear to be grown in sandy soil like in other parts of the world, but it’s still important to slice them and wash the leeks to remove any dirt before using.

When finishing the dish, if the vegetables are looking a little wilted and the chicken skin isn’t crispy yet, you can remove the chicken, transfer the vegetables and sauce to a pan, and put the chicken back in the oven on the broil setting to finish it off.

Italian Roast Chicken Recipe with Peppers, Olives, Capers and Thyme

Italian Roast Chicken Recipe with Peppers, Olives, Capers and Thyme

AuthorTerence Carter

Our Italian roast chicken recipe with peppers, olives and capers makes succulent chicken quarters roasted on a bed of leeks and red and green peppers, with plump black olives, briny capers and sprigs of fresh thyme.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe Rate this Recipe

Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 1 hour hr

Course Main Course

Cuisine Italian

Servings made with recipeServings 2

Calories 687 kcal

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 2 chicken quarters - bone-in skin-on pieces – thigh and drumstick, around 340g (12oz) each
• 4 sprigs fresh thyme
• 2 leeks - separated and washed
• 2 large red peppers - around 60g (2oz) each, halved and deseeded
• 2 large green peppers - around 60g (2oz) each, halved and deseeded
• 50 g pitted black olives
• 20 g capers - large
• 60 ml olive oil
• 1 tsp chilli flakes - optional
• sea salt flakes - to taste
• black pepper - to taste

Instructions

 

• Preheat the oven to 180°C (355°C).
• Cut the leeks into lengths to fit your oven tray (or Dutch oven) and then cut in halves lengthways. Halve, core and deseed your peppers.
• Coat the base of your oven tray with olive oil. Arrange the leeks in the tray and top with the peppers. Using a pastry brush, coat the vegetables with olive oil. Sprinkle over the chilli flakes, if using.
• Top the vegetables with the chicken quarters, coat with olive oil and sprinkle with the sea salt flakes. Remove the thyme leaves from the stems and sprinkle half the thyme over the tray.
• Place the olives and capers into the nooks and crannies on the and place the tray on the centre rack of the oven. Add the cracked pepper. Roast for 1/2 an hour then check for doneness. If the chicken is cooked through, but the skin is not browned, use the broiler element of the oven to brown up the skin.
• When the chicken is ready, rest with the oven off for a few minutes before serving. Plate with the chicken quarter on one side of the plate and the vegetables on the other. Add the olives and capers from the tray and drizzle with the juices from the pan. Serve immediately.

Nutrition

Calories: 687kcalCarbohydrates: 22gProtein: 27gFat: 56gSaturated Fat: 11gPolyunsaturated Fat: 9gMonounsaturated Fat: 33gTrans Fat: 0.1gCholesterol: 142mgSodium: 1323mgPotassium: 765mgFiber: 6gSugar: 7gVitamin A: 2737IUVitamin C: 127mgCalcium: 120mgIron: 5mg

Please do let us know in the comments below if you make this Italian roast chicken recipe as we love to know how our recipes turn out for you.