Saucy Chicken Puttanesca

Ingredients

• 3 lb. skin-on, bone-in chicken thighs and drumsticks or whole legs
• Kosher salt
• 2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
• 6 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 4 oil-packed anchovy fillets
• 1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
• 2 Tbsp. double-concentrated tomato paste
• 1 cup Castelvetrano olives, crushed, pits removed
• 3/4 cup dry white wine
• 2 Tbsp. drained capers
• 2 fresh bay leaves, optional
• 3 2" strips lemon peel, plus lemon wedges for serving

Directions

1. Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Blot the chicken well with paper towels, then salt it on every side. Warm 2 Tbsp. oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until it glistens. Add the chicken and cook, turning it now and then, until some fat has cooked out and the skin is browned all over, 7–10 minutes. Move the chicken to a plate. Leave 3 Tbsp. fat in the skillet and spoon off the rest. Use it for roasted potatoes, cooked bitter greens, or stewy beans.
2. Turn the heat down to medium, then add the garlic and anchovies to the skillet. Cook, stirring frequently, until the garlic softens and the anchovies melt into the fat, 2–3 minutes. Add the red pepper flakes, then mix in the tomato paste. Continue cooking, stirring from time to time, until the tomato paste starts to separate and catch on the skillet, about 3 minutes. Stir in the olives, wine, capers, bay leaves, if using, and lemon peel, and bring the mixture to a simmer over medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the wine has mostly cooked off, 5–7 minutes.
3. Nestle the chicken into the sauce in one layer, keeping the skin facing up. Add 1 cup water and bring everything back to a simmer. Move the skillet to the oven and bake, uncovered, until the chicken is cooked through and the sauce has reduced and thickened, 20–25 minutes. If you are using whole legs, plan on closer to 30–35 minutes. Taste the sauce; with the anchovies and capers, it should already be quite salty, so extra salt probably will not be needed.
4. Arrange the chicken on a platter and spoon the sauce over the top. Finish with a drizzle of oil and serve with lemon wedges on the side.