My favorite way to cook chicken into a sticky, finger-licking, garlicky feast.
PrintPollo Al Ajillo
Ingredients
Scale
- A chicken cut into 8 pieces, skin on breast and wings, skin off legs and thighs if possible
- 5 TB olive oil
- 2 garlic bulbs, cloves separated, skins on
- 6 fresh bay leaves
- 7 oz white wine or fino sherry
- 3 oz water
- sea salt & black pepper
- for Portuguese Fried Potatoes
- 3 TB butter
- 3 TB Olive Oil
- 1 – 1.5 lb new potatoes, peeled or scrubbed, sliced into 1/4 inch ronds
- 1/2 tsp salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1 TB finely chopped parsley
Instructions
- Rinse and pat dry your chicken pieces, then season with salt and pepper. Add olive oil to a large, heavy-bottomed skillet and cover until oil is hot. Now add garlic cloves and gently saute until slightly golden. Remove with a spoon and set aside .Add the chicken, in batches, browning for 3 minutes per side. Return the garlic to the pan along with the bay and pour in the wine, shaking the pan to help the wine emulsify with the oil. Simmer for 2 minutes to evaporate some alcohol, turning the chicken in the sauce. Stir in the water, cover, and simmer for 4 minutes. Remove any breast meat (if cooked) and put to one side. Continue to cook the bone meat another 10 minutes before returning the breast meat to the pot. Season and add more water if required. Taste for seasoning.
- This would be great with a tossed salad, and Portuguese fried potatoes. Melt the butter and olive oil over medium heat in a heavy skillet. When the foam subsides, add the potatoes. Turn frequently for about 15 minutes or until tender and golden brown. Season wtih salt and a grinding of pepper, then transfer to a heated bowl or platter and serve, sprinkled with parsley if you like.