“Braised chicken thighs” sounded so… je ne sais quoi… so I labeled this one ‘Spanish Chicken’. The flavors are reminiscent of a sunny day on Barcelona’s Las Ramblas, sipping cool white wine with a Mediterranean breeze blowing in my hair… whilst being hand-fed marinated olives by Javier Bardem… I took this too far, didn’t I?
I randomly stumbled upon this Martha Stewart original whilst browsing the worldwide web for dinner ideas. The photo looked so inviting that it compelled me into submission. Since I’m terribly headstrong creative, I didn’t really stick to the exact directions. I also added a hefty pinch of saffron threads and substituted white wine for water, cause why have water when you can have wine… said Jesus. (Come on now, Martha… Water?Really?)
This turned out fabulous. And while I served it with mashed potatoes, a good honk of crusty bread would have been a better choice. The chicken juices married with the sweetness of the peppers & white wine, make for a soupy sauce so packed with flavor that it simply commands the superior sopping-qualities of country French bread. The brininess of the olives is there to break through the sweetness of the peppers… and also in case Javier decides to drop in for dinner. Oye. Speaking of delicious olives… I’m sure they’re not extra-virgin. I know. Please forgive me.
SPANISH CHICKEN
For the original recipe, click on the Martha Stewart link above
– a few splashes of olive oil
– 12-15 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
– 3 red bell peppers, sliced into strips
– 3 yellow bel peppers, sliced into strips
– 1 medium-size onion, sliced into strips
– 10 large garlic cloves, roughly pressed or cracked with the flat size of your knife (not chopped)
– 1 28-oz can of whole tomatoes
– 1 15-oz can of plain pitted green olives, drained
– 3 dry bay leaves
– 2 Tbsp of sweet paprika
– 3 Tbsp of fresh thyme
– a hefty pinch of saffron threads
– 1 cup of dry white wine (pick one you also love drinking)
Prep all veggies and set aside. Trim fatty sides of chicken thighs, and salt & pepper them thoroughly.
In a large Dutch oven, over medium-high heat, add a splash or two of olive oil and brown chicken thighs on all sides. Set aside when browned, they do not have to be fully cooked yet.
In the same pot, add onion, garlic & peppers and sauté for 5-7 minutes until starting to get soft. Add olives and tomatoes with their juices, gently crushing the tomatoes into coarse pieces with your hand. Add white wine, bay leaves, paprika, thyme & saffron and season the lot with salt & pepper. Stir and bring to a boil.
Turn heat to medium-low and return chicken & juices to the pot, nestling the chicken thighs into the veggie mixture. Gently simmer for 30-45 minutes until the chicken is fall-apart tender. Remove bay leaves and serve hot.
The Hungry Belgian 