Italian
Silvia’s Masterclass
From
Silvia’s Masterclass
season
1
Roast Chicken with Pancetta, Sage, and Lemon
With
Silvia Colloca
Ingredients
⅓ cup (80ml) extra-virgin olive oil
brown onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
⅓ cup of sage leaves, chopped plus extra leaves to serve
1x100 gr pancetta slice, cut into small pieces
Zest of 2 lemons, thinly sliced plus 1 extra cut into wedges
4 slices (110g) of stale sourdough or ciabatta, torn cut into 2cm cubes
½ cup (125ml) white wine
salt and pepper for seasoning
1 large organic chicken, cleaned
1 red onion, roughly chopped
Method
You can make the stuffing the day before and keep in the fridge until ready to use
Heat up ¼ cup (60ml) of oil in a large frying pan, add the onion, garlic, sage and pancetta and sautee together for 1-2 minutes or until fragrant. Add the bread and cook together for 1-2 minutes, then delagze the pan with wine and cook off the alcohol for 2-3 minutes over high heat. Season with salt flakes and lemon zest, then transfer the filling mixture into a bowl and cool down. Place in the fridge to cook completely.
Heat up your oven to 200 C fan-forced or 220 C conventional.
Pat dry chicen with a paper towel. Stuff the cavity with the filling, then gently lift the skin from the breast using your fingers, paying attentions not to tear it. Thinly slice 1 lemon and fit the slices under the skin, along with a few sage leaves.
Tie the legs together with some kitchen twine. Drizzle the chicken with remaining extra-virgin olive oil and season with salt. Place some extra lemon wedges and onion into a large roasting dish. Place into the oven and bake for 15 minutes then turn the temperature to 200 C conventional or 180 C fan-forced and cook for 45-50 minutes or until cooked through.
Take the chicken out of the oven and allow chicken to rest, loosely covered with foil for 30 minutes, then slice and serve, but not before everyone has had a chance to admire the glory of the fully roasted, golden brown bird still intact.
To serve, scatter chicken with sage leaves and lemon wedge, including the roasted onion and lemon and pan juices.
Silvia Colloca
Silvia Colloca is an Italian-born food writer, opera singer, TV producer and host. She has authored seven cookbooks, including Silvia’s Cucina, Made in Italy, La Dolce Vita, Love, Laugh, Bake!, Simple Italian (2024), and The Italian Homecook (2025), all published by Penguin.
Silvia’s most recent television work is Silvia’s Italian Masterclass (Channel 10), with its latest season airing in October 2025. The series is currently funding for Season 4. She has also appeared as a special guest on SBS’s Mastermind in 2025. Her earlier TV credits include the SBS Food series Cook Like an Italian, which has screened internationally across three seasons, as well as Made in Italy with Silvia Colloca (SBS), filmed on location in the Le Marche and Abruzzo regions and earning her a 2015 TV WEEK Logie Award nomination for Best New Talent. She also co-wrote, co-produced and hosted the ABC prime-time series Silvia’s Italian Table in 2016.
Outside of food and television, Silvia has enjoyed a career as a celebrated opera singer and actress. In 2022, she released her debut solo classical album with Universal Music, which topped the Classical Charts for over 20 weeks. That same year, she performed with Andrea Bocelli at his Sydney concert, a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
Inspiration Starts Here
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