Pollo Chilindrón

Pollo al Chilindrón

Whenever I don't know what to make for dinner, rest assured I usually end up cooking with some sort of peppers. Like a good Spanish girl, I'm a huge pepper fan. I make variations of Pollo al Chilindrón pretty frequently, since its not all that difficult. Expect it to take around 2 hours (it is a stew after all) because it requires one hour of simmering. But trust me it is very yummy once it's time to eat it.

Pollo al Chilindrón is from the Aragón region in Spain, which is comprised of the provinces Zaragoza, Huesca, and Teruel in the northeast section of Spain, but it is eaten throughout the country.

Ingredients
4 chicken breasts (legs, thigh depending on preference)
Sea salt freshly ground black pepper
Rosemary
1/4 cup olive oil
1 medium onion (chopped)
1 large red bell pepper (sliced into thin strips or chopped)
1 large green bell pepper (sliced into thin strips or chopped)
4 medium sized tomatoes (peeled, seeded, and chopped) or 1 1/2 cup tomato sauce
1 cup jamón Serrano (Spanish cured ham)
1 cup of white wine
Minced garlic
1 teaspoon sweet pimentón (Spanish smoked paprika (pimentón)
1 bay leaf
1 cup of water


Cut chicken breasts into smaller pieces and season with salt, black pepper, and rosemary. Heat a spoonful of olive oil in a large frying pan and cook chicken, working in batches, until the chicken is brown on both sides. Remove the chicken and set aside. Add 1/4 cup of olive oil to the pan and after heating, add the onions and peppers. Cook on a low heat for about 25 minutes until the vegetables start to brown.

If the vegetables are getting dry make sure to add a tablespoon of water so they do not burn. Once they are finished cooking add the garlic and cook for another 5 minutes. Now add the white wine and cook until it evaporates which should be another 5 minutes.

Add the jamón Serrano and chicken pieces and stir. Make sure to keep any juices that have collected from the chicken and add to the mix as well. Cook for 5 minutes before adding the tomatoes (or tomato sauce), pimentón, 1 cup of water, and the bay leaf. Cook for 1 hour until the chicken is nice and tender or coming off the bone (for the legs and thighs). Season with salt and pepper to your taste.

Buen provecho!