The Delectable Italian-Jewish Fried Chicken You May Not Have Heard Of

Hanukkah is known as The Festival of Lights — and it's also a revelry of fried foods. Food Network explains that cooking foods in oil signifies the day's worth of olive oil that kept the menorah candelabra lit for a miraculous eight days in the Second Temple in Jerusalem. In Jewish communities around the world, this story is celebrated with fried regional specialties. As NPR explains, in Europe you'll find potato pancakes and schnitzel, and in Italy, you can also find fried vegetable dishes with artichokes, endive, squash, and more — Roman Jewish recipes dating back to ancient times.

In America, you might encounter jelly donuts or sufganiyot, light and flaky bread (malawach), and various other fried foods contributed by other cultures like Middle Eastern turnovers, cheese croquettes, and doughy desserts, writes The Nosher. But there's also a lesser-known dish that you simply must try. It originates from the Jewish population of Tuscany, Italy, and it's called pollo fritto per Hanucca — Italian for "fried chicken for Hanukkah."

This fried chicken preparation has a truly unique flavor profile that not only captures the sunshine and bounty of the Tuscan region, but also the brightness of the Hanukkah lights. Austin-American Statesman describes the recipe as chicken legs and thighs marinated with lemon, garlic, cinnamon, and thyme, breaded or dredged, and fried. The crispy chicken is served with fresh lemon wedges to squeeze over top. Baltimore Jewish Times explains that the special spice blend and citrusy acid are perfect complements to the rich greasiness of the chicken and other fried foods awaiting on the Hanukkah table.

So what frying oil is used for pollo fritto per Hanucca? The San Diego Union-Tribune writes that olive oil is still held in reverence for its role in the story of the menorah. But My Jewish Learning explains that you can also use oils with high smoke points like avocado or safflower oil, or even "old-school" schmaltz (rendered chicken fat) balanced with canola oil. Your Hanukkah fried chicken will turn out golden-brown and delicious.

The recipe in Austin-American Statesman is taken from Leah Koenig's "Little Book of Jewish Feasts." The University of California Press (via Joyce Goldstein) offers a version that incorporates the zest of both lemons and oranges. It calls for a cut-up whole chicken that's brined overnight with spices and the requisite lemon, garlic, cinnamon, and herbs before being double-breaded in seasoned flour and beaten egg.

If you want to make it at home, be sure not to let the chicken marinate too much as the lemon can toughen it up, according to Baltimore Jewish Times. Incorporating a little potato starch into the dredging flour will help the chicken get extra crunchy. While chicken, lemon, and cinnamon are the trademarks of pollo fritto per Hanucca, you can always experiment with seasonings to pack the dish with even more flavor. You might want to use a splatter guard (as Austin-American Statesman suggests) to keep hot, juicy oil from leaving the pan. Indeed, this storied dish is as warm and bright as the sunshine of Tuscany and the Hanukkah lights.