7 pounds chickens cut into 12 pieces (see cooks' note, below)
1 cup cooking wine dry white
10 garlic cloves peeled
24 oil-cured olives black
0.3 cup olive oil extra-virgin
0.5 inch pancetta cut into 1-inch pieces
0.5 teaspoon red-pepper flakes hot
1 tablespoon rosemary chopped
1 tablespoon sea salt fine
1.5 tablespoons thyme leaves chopped
Equipment
frying pan
oven
Directions
Preheat oven to 450°F with rack in middle.
Toss chicken with oil, thyme, rosemary, sea salt, red-pepper flakes, and 1 teaspoon pepper, rubbing mixture into chicken.
Arrange chicken, skin side up, in 1 layer in a 17-by 11-inch 4-sided sheet pan. Scatter garlic and pancetta on top and roast until chicken begins to brown, about 20 minutes.
Drizzle wine over chicken and roast 8 minutes more. Scatter olives over chicken and roast until skin is golden brown and chicken is cooked through, 15 to 20 minutes more.
Let stand 10 minutes.
To cut a chicken into 12 pieces, remove wings and cut each breast half into 3 pieces, then separate drumsticks and thighs. Backbones can be used to make chicken stock.
