It’s cold outside, and you’re finishing off the leftovers from that giant bird you roasted whole and probably ate yourself. What better time to cook up another whole bird and eat it yourself, am I right? Kidding aside, there’s nothing quite like biting into a juicy, crispy-skinned cooked fowl. That’s why I thought I’d give your oven a break with this pan-fried whole chicken recipe inspired by anime Drifting Dragons.
Click here to skip to the recipe for Dragonet alla Diavola.
All Aboard the Quin Zaza!
Based on a popular manga of the same name, Drifting Dragons follows a crew of dragon hunters, or “drakers” aboard the airship Quin Zaza in a slice-of-life story exploring the themes of purpose and community. The world depends on dragon oil and meat, and its acquisition is as lucrative as it is dangerous and expensive. So why would these young men and women choose back-breaking, low paying, and high taboo work?
Like the young rookie Takita, some people do it out of curiosity about dragons and draker life. Others, like the serious Giraud, out a sense of duty to the family profession. Drakers like Vannie feel more at home among the clouds than rooted to the ground. And the passionate few, like the always starving Mika, live, breathe, and devour dragons for the simple and unyielding pleasure it brings them.
Dragonet alla Diavola
Today’s recipe comes from Episode 2, Bounty and Dragonet all Diavola. In this episode, the crew of the Quin Zaza finds itself terrorized by a tiny dragon with a face full of fangs much akin to that of Stranger Things’ Demogorgon. Drawn by the scent of dragon oil, this dragonet is the smallest the crew has ever seen. And turns out, it’s one of the tastiest.
Food obsessed Mika, upon realizing the beast is too small to render for oil, demands a fried cutlet be made from this miniature morsel. Yoshi, the ship’s cook, says he doesn’t have any eggs. However, the skin looks edible, so he decides to make the dragonet into a “diavola.”
Diavola, meaning devil in Italian, marks a dish with some heating spice like cayenne pepper. Though, this particular usage, “dragonet alla diavola” looks like chicken alla diavola — which gets its name from both the spice and its devil’s head shape. That shape is what you get when you spatchcock a chicken by removing the breastbone rather than the spine.
Like the show, I marinated the beast with olive oil, salt, pepper, lemon juice, and rosemary. Yoshi’s “and whatever spices you have lying around” seemed a little too vague. A standard diavola uses fresh garlic and cayenne pepper. Given the frequent appearance of Mediterranean and Eastern European style food in the show, I thought it appropriate to add some smoked paprika and fennel seed to the mix as well.
If you’ve ever heard of chicken under a brick, chicken alla diavola uses the same concept. You press the meat into the pan with a heavy object while cooking in a thin layer of oil. In the show, Yoshi uses a pot full of water. I used a pot lid weighed down by another cast iron skillet.
After a few flips of the bird, and I don’t mean the kind you offer the current president every time he speaks, you’ll get a juicy, crunchy, and downright delicious meal.
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Drifting Delicacies
Dragonet alla Diavola
Equipment: Cutting board, poultry shears or chef’s knife, plastic wrap, mortar and pestle, 12-inch skillet, 12-inch pot lid, tongs, spatula, refrigerator, and a heavy-bottomed skillet or a heavy heat-safe object such as a brick.
Ingredients:
- One whole, 4 to 5-pound chicken
- 6 cloves garlic, peeled
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons olive oil plus more for cooking
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 3-4 sprigs fresh rosemary
- 1 teaspoon fennel seed
- black pepper
- kosher salt
Instructions:
- Crush the fennel seed with a pinch of kosher salt in a mortar and pestle. Grind until flat and fragrant. Then crush the garlic cloves into the mix, adding a pinch of kosher salt between cloves. Set aside.
- Chop half of the rosemary and set aside.
- Split the chicken open by cutting with poultry shears lengthwise through the cavity along the center of the breastbone. If using a knife, slice a groove lengthwise on this line, press to break the skin, then press down on the dull edge of the blade to break through the breastbone. Continue to cut and pull at the sides of the bird until butterflied.
- Pat both sides of the bird dry with paper towels, then flip the bird skin-side up.
- Coat the skin with half of the olive oil, lemon juice, chopped rosemary, garlic paste, and other spices. Liberally season with kosher salt and black pepper.
- Flip the bird over and repeat step 5 with the other side. Place the remaining rosemary in the cavity, then cover the whole board and bird with plastic wrap and let marinate in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.
- When ready to cook, coat the bottom of your skillet with another three tablespoons of olive oil and place over medium heat on the stovetop. When hot, place the bird skin-side down and cover the with the pan lid. Weigh down the lid with a brick or another skillet and let cook for 5 minutes.
- When five minutes are up, grab the bird along the spine with the tongs and turn it over in the pan using the spatula to help balance. Replace the lid and heavy object. Cook and flip every five minutes for a total of 45-50 minutes until the bird cooks through and the skin is crispy.
- Remove the pan from heat and pull apart with a clean pair of tongs to serve.
