Doesn’t this sauce look like it’s full of things that aren’t good for you – like cream? I’m pleased to report that there’s not an ounce of cream or any other dairy in it. It’s a Spanish chicken dish that hails from the Castilla-La Mancha region in the middle of Spain. There are two main parts to preparing this dish – braising the chicken and making the sauce.
After browning the chicken on both sides, you make a flavorful braising liquid that includes sherry and cinnamon. Just a quarter teaspoon of cinnamon made my kitchen smell fabulous. The thighs are nestled into this liquid and braised at a low heat in the oven until the meat is very tender. Chicken thighs are cooked when they reach an internal temperature of 175°F but here they’re cooked longer (until 195°F) so that the collagen breaks down. You don’t have to worry about it drying out since it’s cooked in braising liquid so the end result is moist and very tender.
Once the chicken is cooked, you add some of the braising liquid to the remaining ingredients – hard boiled egg yolks, blanched almonds, saffron and garlic – and process until smooth in a food processor or blender. The hard boiled egg yolks and almonds are what gives this sauce its creaminess and richness. Saffron lends a subtle flavor and aroma. A little saffron goes a long way – you really only need a pinch. Which is good as it’s the most expensive spice in the world! This mixture gets added back to the braising liquid and cooked for a few minutes more so that the sauce thickens up nicely.
I served this dish alongside brown rice so it could soak up some of the delicious sauce. Bread or pasta would be a nice alternative to rice. Don’t have dry sherry? Madeira makes a good substitute.
| Spanish Braised Chicken with Saffron-Almond Sauce | Print |
- 8 bone-in/skin-on chicken thighs
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 onion, chopped fine
- 3 garlic cloves, minced and divided
- 1 bay leaf
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ⅔ cup dry sherry
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1 14.5 ounce can petite diced tomatoes, not drained
- 2 hard boiled large eggs, peeled and yolks and whites separated
- ½ cup slivered blanched almonds, toasted
- Pinch of saffron threads, crumbled
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley, divided
- 1-1/2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
- Fine sea salt and freshly ground pepper
- Preheat oven to 300°F.
- Pat chicken dry with paper towels and season both sides of each with salt and pepper.
- In a 12-inch frying pan (with a lid), heat oil over medium-high heat. Add chicken and brown on both sides, 10 to 12 minutes. You may need to do this in two batches. Transfer thighs to large plate and pour off all but 2 teaspoons fat from frying pan.
- Over medium heat, add onion and a pinch of salt. Stirring frequently, cook until just softened, about 3 minutes.
- Add 2 minced garlic cloves, bay leaf and cinnamon and stir until fragrant, about 1 minute.
- Add sherry and cook, scraping any browned bits, until sauce starts to thicken, about 2 minutes.
- Stir in broth and tomatoes and bring to simmer. Return chicken to frying pan, skin side up. Cover pan, transfer to oven and cook until chicken registers 195°F, about 40 to 45 minutes. Transfer chicken to serving platter and cover loosely with aluminum foil to keep warm.
- While chicken is cooking, place almonds in a shallow baking pan and toast in the oven with the chicken for 2 to 4 minutes until browned and fragrant. Toss pan occasionally and watch carefully so they do not burn. Place egg yolks, almonds, saffron and remaining clove of garlic in a small food processor or blender. Set aside. Finely chop egg whites from one egg (if you really like egg whites, chop both) and chop parsley.
- Discard bay leaf from frying pan. Transfer ¾ cup of chicken chicken cooking liquid (with onions and tomatoes) to food processor or blender with other ingredients. Process until smooth, about 2 minutes, scraping down the sides of the container as needed.
- Return almond mixture to frying pan with remaining sauce. Add 1 tablespoon parsley and lemon juice. Bring to simmer over medium heat whisking frequently, until thickened, 3 to 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
- Transfer chicken back to frying pan and spoon sauce over it. Sprinkle with remaining 1 tablespoon parsley and egg whites, and serve hot. (Alternately you can transfer chicken and sauce to a platter.)
Source: Variation of a recipe from America’s Test Kitchen’s The Complete Mediterranean Cookbook: 500 Vibrant, Kitchen-Tested Recipes for Living and Eating Well Every Day (2016)
This looks incredible, Nicole – and it has so many of our favorite flavors! Definitely trying it soon!
David – Thank you! I’m pretty sure you’ll like this one (minus the garlic, of course!).