Spanish Garlic Chicken (Pollo al Ajillo)
Servings: 4
Ingredients
- 1 chicken cut into pieces (about 3 1/2 pounds or 1.6kg), can be substituted with 2 1/2 pounds boneless chicken thighs, and trimmed of all fat
- sea salt , to taste
- 4 tablespoons olive oil , for frying
- 1 teaspoon all-purpose flour , plus more for dusting
- 12 unpeeled garlic cloves , lightly smashed
- 10 peeled garlic cloves , sliced
- 1/2 dried small red chile (optional), crumbled
- 2/3 cup dry white wine
- 1/3 cup chicken stock
- 2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
- 3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
Instructions
- In a bowl, rub the chicken pieces with salt. Let stand for 30 minutes or so.
- Preheat the oven to 425 °F (220 °C).
- In a 12-inch skillet, heat the olive oil until hot. Lightly dust the chicken pieces with flour and shake off the excess. Add the 12 unpeeled garlic cloves to the skillet and cook for about 1 minute, stirring them to coat with the olive oil. Add the chicken pieces and cook for about 10 minutes, until browned. Transfer the cooked chicken pieces to a baking dish.
- Discard the garlic cloves. In the same skillet, over low heat, cook the peeled garlic cloves, for about 2 minutes. Add the chile and stir. Add 1 teaspoon flour and stir for 20 seconds. Add the wine, chicken stock, and bring to a boil. Season with salt to taste and pour the sauce over the chicken pieces.
- Bake for about 15 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through. Stir in the vinegar and parsley. Serve the chicken with a few spoonfuls of the garlic wine sauce. Enjoy!