How easy is it to get chicken dishes in Italy?

So, not sure what the question is. Do they serve chicken in Italy? Yes. Pollo is frequently if not always on the menu. Since I am not looking specially for pollo, I cannot say for certain that it is on every menu but I think it is.

Just not so much KFC.

There is a traditional Italian dish called "Pollo Al Mattone". It's chicken that's cooked with a hot heavy brick smashed down onto it. Seriously, and yes, it's delicious. We sat next to a couple who ordered it at a restaurant then sent it back after it arrived because "it looked like it had been run over by a truck." The poor waiter didn't know how to say "It's supposed to look like that." (^_^)

Just not so much KFC.

They got a few: http://www.kfc.it/

They serve cotoletta alla milanese in Milan. Delicious chicken dish.

Pollo is the most common word for chicken, "petto di pollo" is a chicken breast. The Milanese dish mentioned can also be made from veal or pork, so you might want to ask before you order it.

Thanks everyone. One person in our party eats only chicken and is lactose intolerant so that means no cheese/cream sauces.

Plenty of chicken dishes in practically every region. I understand not ordering dairy foods being lactose intolerant. But tell your friend to try something different for god sake. Be adventurous. How about some Coniglio, or pesce, or maiale?

There is a traditional Italian dish called "Pollo Al Mattone". It's chicken that's cooked with a hot heavy brick smashed down onto it. Seriously, and yes, it's delicious. We sat next to a couple who ordered it at a restaurant then sent it back after it arrived because "it looked like it had been run over by a truck." The poor waiter didn't know how to say "It's supposed to look like that." (^_^) unquote

I bet they always seem to get poorly cooked steak Tartare as well

Simple grilled or roasted chicken and veggies/roasted potatoes is widely available. My family had this several times here in Italy. There are pasta dishes without milk. There is prosciutto and melon. Salads, many dairy free dishes.

Based on my experience last year, there are definitely restaurants in Italy with no chicken on the menu, and many (maybe most) of the rest may offer only one chicken dish. I think this may be especially an issue along the coast, where things seem to be seafood-centric; relatives made this observation after a trip to the Amali area.

Since this seems to be very important to your traveling companion, it would be prudent for him to examine menus carefully before selecting a restaurant.

I'm lactose-intolerant myself, but I have no problem consuming dairy products (gelato as well as cheese, yogurt and cream sauces) as long as I pop a Lactaid pill or two. You don't even have to plan ahead, just take the pill(s) along with the problematic food. I can't guarantee that would work for your friend, but it could be tried ahead of time, at home, to be sure it's effective. For me, milk, hot chocolate or a milkshake would be the stress test.

You can also get soy milk at many bars.

Cheese and chicken do not go together in Italian foods here. Pollo con peperoni is big: chicken and peppers, so is roasted chicken, but not every restaurant will have a chicken dish. You'll just have to look at menus, and chicken is NEVER in pasta.

Nestor - I am also lactose intolerant as well as gluten. While I am very careful in the US, I have no problem in Italy. I bring medication with me, but have only once needed it. Their food is not overprocessed like in the US. That's my experience after over a decade of annual trips to Italy. Your travel companion may not be like me, but it was only through trying non touristy places did I learn that I could eat some dairy (yeah to gelato) and pizza. I sure wish it was ok in the USA.

Nestor,

Here's a menu from one restaurant in Rome. Note the first item on the Secondi part of the menu....

https://www.zomato.com/roma/ponte-e-parione-navona-pantheon-roma/menu#tabtop

Here's another one......

https://www.zomato.com/roma/trattoria-antica-boheme-monti-roma/menu#tabtop

Note second item from the bottom in the right column of the Secondi menu. There's another chicken item on the next page.

I don't know how current these are, but they will give you some idea. There will be lots to choose from.

Note that in addition to pollo as the general word for chicken, there are other words for other specific kinds. For instance, faraone is a guinea hen (my friend really loved this dish in Padova).

Most of the restaurants have their menu displayed at the entrance or in the piazza seating, so you can check it before you sit down. We always found a lot of good options regardless of region, and she could always defer to some good vegetarian options.

Just doing a query on Google now, turns up tons of options. Here's one for Rome: https://foursquare.com/top-places/rome/best-places-chicken.
There are also tons of review on other sites such as tripadvisor

Even more basic, are you basing your itinary based on avaiablity of chicken at restaurants ?

How long are you going to be in Italy, and where?

Also, if you were staying in an apartment and have a kitchen you can go to most markets and buy your own chicken and cook it yourself

Nestor, you could add more info and generate more discussion as Borntorun suggests, but I frankly think that the general assurances you're already received are adequate and apply regardless of your itinerary.

thank you all.
borntorun - we are not basing our trip on food availability. I wanted to pass the info to the other traveler so they can make their own mind whether they want to go or not. We plan to visit Venice, Florence and Rome.