Spicy

The Canal House's Chicken alla Diavola

by:
July 23, 2014
57 Comments

All week long, Christopher Hirsheimer and Melissa Hamilton of The Canal House will be sharing their recipes from last year's Canal House Cooking, Volume 8: Pronto! And we're giving away a copy every day this week. Open up a bottle of Sangiovese and follow along to bring a little Italy into your home.

Today: This crispy-skinned chicken delivers a flavor punch and a spicy kick.

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Neither one of us particularly likes very spicy food. The intensity of the heat can get in the way of the flavor, and we're usually more interested in flavor than sensation. But there are exceptions, and this Italian classic -- devilishly spicy grilled chicken -- is one: It makes our lips burn and tingle, but the heat and flavor are balanced just right. It's the kind of food we crave when the weather gets hot. We wash it down with cold rosato. Bliss.

Chicken alla Diavola

Serves 4 to 6

One 3- to 4-pound chicken
2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
1 to 2 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes
Salt
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice (from 1 to 2 lemons)
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

See the full recipe (and save and print it) here.

We're giving away a copy of Canal House Cooking, Volume 8: Pronto! every day this week! To enter to win today's copy, tell us in the comments: What sort of food do you crave when the weather gets hot? We'll choose winners next Monday, July 28th.

Photo by The Canal House. Excerpted from the book Canal House Cooking, Volume 8: Pronto! by Christopher Hersheimer and Melissa Hamilton. Reprinted by permission of The Canal House. All rights reserved.

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57 Comments

Winston M.
Winston M. June 13, 2016
Jamaican Jerk Chicken, coconut rice & pidgeon peas, fried plantains.
Winston McKoy
[email protected]
 
MrsH89!
MrsH89! August 10, 2014
Grilled veggies
 
Mary W.
Mary W. August 9, 2014
stuffed grape leaves remind me of picnics at the beach with my grandmother, and I make them as soon as the leaves get big enough but are still tender.
 
Donsf@aol.com
[email protected] August 3, 2014
Panzanella salad, arugula pesto, grilled spicy chicken and potato salad. Watermelon!
 
Sharon S.
Sharon S. July 31, 2014
Mamaki tea from Manoa Valley, ice cold white pineapple from the Big Island, and the best mai tais in the world from Mauna Kea Beach Hotel. Aloha from the Land of Eternal Summer!
 
Indian G.
Indian G. July 31, 2014
Grilled chicken, fish, more greens, fruity cocktails.....
 
cookinginvictoria
cookinginvictoria July 28, 2014
I can't choose just one. Some of my favorites: tomato, basil and fresh mozzarella salad, fresh peaches and plums, sour cherry pie, and, of course, homemade ice cream!
 
Liri
Liri July 26, 2014
Watermelon!
 
Anne B.
Anne B. July 25, 2014
Pasta salad with tuna & fresh peas
 
Jesse
Jesse July 25, 2014
Rose
 
sjgoldman
sjgoldman July 25, 2014
Homemade salsa + tortilla chips, cut-up melon, peaches or plums chilled in the fridge, and lots of yogurt!
 
pretty_pathetic
pretty_pathetic July 25, 2014
Ice cream, of course. But also the quintessential picnic foods -- pasta salad, potato salad, and (most of all) fresh cucumbers generously sprinkled with salt.
 
MrsMehitabel
MrsMehitabel July 25, 2014
My mother's four-bean salad with red wine vinegar and basil, and her Bircher muesli with peaches and strawberries, both of which she made in huge batches and stored in the fridge to be enjoyed at will. We had that bean salad with grilled steak (same dressing for the marinade) and steamed calrose rice at pretty much every company meal. What can I say? It's just an extremely successful dish.
 
Lauramann
Lauramann July 24, 2014
Icy cold watermelon!
 
hobbit2nd
hobbit2nd July 24, 2014
Chocolate milkshakes.
 
Bernadette J.
Bernadette J. July 24, 2014
Crisp clean fruit and vegetables. Watermelon, cucumber, even lettuce :-)
 
petitegourmande
petitegourmande July 24, 2014
ice cream!
 
cranberry66
cranberry66 July 24, 2014
fresh garden tomatoes with homemade mayo, salt and pepper
 
Marjorie
Marjorie July 24, 2014
Hamburgers on the grill.
 
Tim N.
Tim N. July 24, 2014
fresh from my garden salad
 
Fairmount_market
Fairmount_market July 24, 2014
Cold cucumber soup made with yogurt and dill.
 
Ko T.
Ko T. July 24, 2014
Vinegary food - Chicken Adobo, any pickled vegetables, etc. It jump-starts my lost appetite.
 
Martha F.
Martha F. July 24, 2014
salads
 
Kgotch
Kgotch July 23, 2014
Tomato Pie and Ice Tea (lots of ice)!!!
 
shelley
shelley July 23, 2014
fresh....cold...crisp.....ymmmm
 
Kelly M.
Kelly M. July 23, 2014
When its hot here's nothing better than a nice ripe juicy summer tomato!
 
Glo C.
Glo C. July 23, 2014
Fresh vegetable salads (corn, squash, tomato, etc.), grilled meats and seafood, and (of course) ice cream.
 
Cathy C.
Cathy C. July 23, 2014
i love salads and pizza on the grill! and a nice custard cone for dessert!
 
Rhona
Rhona July 23, 2014
I love cold salads and cold meats, chicken, ham, and some amazing cheese cake of course
 
Jamie
Jamie July 23, 2014
Salads! Mostly since they are cold and easy to make.
 
Lins
Lins July 23, 2014
I crave tomato gazpacho with lots of tabasco!
 
TheBostonian
TheBostonian July 23, 2014
I crave cole slaw and raw salads, like my favorite chop salad of cherry tomatoes, corn cut off the cob, hearts of palm, black beans, red pepper, harvarti, and basil. SO GOOD.
 
Keri
Keri July 23, 2014
Kabobs, all kinds of Kabobs!
 
katylua
katylua July 23, 2014
g&ts with lots of appetizers.
 
suncatcher54
suncatcher54 July 23, 2014
A meal we have at least once a week in summer as produce becomes available here is buttered corn on cob, sliced tomatoes, fried zucchini and buttered new potatoes. Sometimes we have grilled chicken or chicken salad also. We end it with fruit crumble and ice cream.
 
Anne S.
Anne S. July 23, 2014
Spicy dishes, grilled eggplant & zucchini and desert wines.
 
Deb
Deb July 23, 2014
roasted red pepper and leek soup- cold and delicious
 
Jenna
Jenna July 23, 2014
My favorite summer dish would be tomato and burrata with a drizzle of really good balsamic and sprinkled with coarse sea salt.
 
Bevi
Bevi July 23, 2014
Cubed watermelon laced with vodka and fresh mint.
 
Barbara
Barbara July 23, 2014
My favorite summertime thing to eat is a fresh tomato and corn salad. We are lucky to have a farm stand not far from the house. Tomatoes, roasted corn, red onion, parsley, chives , and light vinaigrette. Yesterday I made the salad and added peaches. Delicious!
 
jane
jane July 23, 2014
Cold watermelon, tomatoes, and cukes!
 
EmFraiche
EmFraiche July 23, 2014
tart, crunchy, refreshing!
 
Anne T.
Anne T. July 23, 2014
Thanks for the suggestion Antonia. Plan on serving grilled peaches for dessert tonight. Also I like to dress the arugola with a dribble of the chicken/marinade juices. Peach salad another night...possibly with grilled pork tenderloin.
 
AntoniaJames
AntoniaJames July 23, 2014
Bill Smith's Green Peach Salad (featured here in the Genius Recipe column) would be perfect with this chicken. ;o)
 
Anne T.
Anne T. July 23, 2014
Citrus, lemons, limes, oranges, yuzu. I prefer vinaigrettes and marinades in summer made with citrus...seems fresher, livelier. This recipe reminds me of Marcella Hazan's Pollo alla Diavola, which calls for 1 tablespoon of crushed black peppercorns, fresh lemon juice, olive oil and salt. The crushed red pepper will add another element of heat, which will perk up heat suffering palates. Plan to serve with a small salad or arugola and a bowl of sungold tomatoes. Then grilled peaches. And keep the rosato flowing.
 
AntoniaJames
AntoniaJames July 23, 2014
Salad, salad, salad! My latest favorites involve ice cold watermelon with mint in an otherwise savory salad tossed with a wine vinegar dressing, arugula, tomatoes, briny feta, chopped parsley and perhaps some just-picked Italian oregano, etc. Give me a crust of artisanal bread to sop up the dressing, sit me out on the deck, pour me a mint limeade or rosemary lemonade, and I'll declare it the perfect summer dinner. Now, I just need a warm evening to make this happen. (I live in the SF Bay Area where "hot" and "summer" anything have been hard to come by lately.) ;o)
 
heyjude
heyjude July 23, 2014
Ice cream in a cone or a milkshake
 
LLStone
LLStone July 23, 2014
Grilled meats and veggies with cold watermelon or canteloupe.
 
Lauren P.
Lauren P. July 23, 2014
I ALWAYS, ALWAYS crave dishes that allow me to pretend I'm dining on the coast, cooling with an ocean breeze (Oklahoma girl). My favorites have been beer steamed mussels with spicy sausage, poached salmon in a light tomato broth, and I couldn't live without a lobster roll on brioche or milk bread topped with crispy potato chips every so often!
 
Monique F.
Monique F. July 23, 2014
When the weather gets hotter, my meals revolve around salads. I love making the candied Pecans for my Strawberry, Candied Pecans and Arugula Salad. Then, there are several variations to Pasta Salads that I create. Or if I'm in a hurry, i toss together mixed Greens, a little Lemon juice, salt, black pepper, sugar and Extra Virgin Olive Oil, from there, it's on.
 
tati
tati July 23, 2014
At home I love gazpacho, grilled meat or fish with Salsa Verdi, greek salad, Tunisian flat bread. When we are away a cold plate with lobster, fresh tomatoes, cucumber butter lettuce and my mother-in-laws fresh rolls!
 
Molly (.
Molly (. July 23, 2014
Cold chicken of any sort, as in a bucket of cold fried chicken at a picnic, or leftover cold grilled chicken. Also, chicken salad of any sort, in salad or sandwich form, especially my mom's version with celery, grapes and hokey mandarin oranges.
 
Mary
Mary July 23, 2014
Anything I can do on the Grill, especially pizzas!
 
Sara S.
Sara S. July 23, 2014
I crave grilled meats, like flank steak with a green sauce, or noodle salads like bún. Crisp Lambrusco!!!
 
WHB
WHB July 23, 2014
Soba noodles, silken tofu (served on a bed of ice) with grated ginger and shredded nori, a cold hefeweizen--but maybe not all together!
 
Chris O.
Chris O. July 23, 2014
I crave simple, fresh and no/low cook foods. Last night was the hottest day of the year so far and we enjoyed Avocado Tonnato from Food52 (thanks for the idea/inspiration-all ingredients were in the kitchen) with a crisp, chilled, local craft lager.
 
AdeleK
AdeleK July 23, 2014
I enjoy cold soups and salads with grilled chicken.