Spanish Chicken with Fire Roasted Peppers & Olives

This fabulous dish is classic Spanish cuisine and can be made in about 25 minutes, with ingredients often found in your frig and pantry.

First we sear the chicken in virgin olive oil infused with garlic and then, when the chicken is removed to rest, the hot oils are joined by the onion, chicken bone broth, Sherry, roasted red peppers, olives, capers, sun dried tomatoes and herbs and spices… and the chicken is simmered until tender and luscious. This Spanish classic is an umami feast!

Ingredients…

4 to 6 chicken thighs, bone in, skin on (we use free range and air chilled)
8 to 12 ounces fire roasted sweet red bell peppers (1 to 1 1/2 cups)
8 ounces Spanish Queen green olives, cut in half (or Castelvetrano, Piquillo and Manzanilla)
4 ounces sun dried tomatoes
4 ounces butter beans, gigante beans or broad beans (optional but we love em)
1 tablespoon capers
4 to 5 large garlic cloves, crushed or minced
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons dry Sherry
8 ounces chicken bone broth
1 large pinch saffron (optional but fabulous)
1 tablespoon fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon dried
1 1/2 teaspoon salt, to taste
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper 1/2 teaspoon Spanish smoked Paprika 1/2 cup preserved Meyer lemons (optional but fabulous)

Prep Work

We like to salt the chicken ahead of time, on both sides, especially under the skin. An hour or two is ideal or overnight is best. But if you don’t have time, just salt the chicken while the olive oil and the garlic are heating up. The proportion is 1 teaspoon salt for each pound and a half of meat.

Chop the onions and roasted red peppers into bite size pieces.

Cooking…

Pour the olive oil into a 12 inch fry or saute pan and add the garlic into this cold oil. Slowly heat the oil until the garlic begins to sizzle and foam.

Add the chicken thighs to the pan, using the tongs or large fork, and coat the bone side with the garlic oils and turn each thigh skin down. Sear on medium heat until about half cooked through, about 5 minutes. Now flip each thigh over and sear the bone side down another 5 minutes. (We often put the olives in when we sear the bone side down.) Remove the chicken and set aside.

Sear the onion until opaque, about 4 minutes.

Add the bone broth to deglaze, it will sizzle and pick up all the burned bits and the flavor from the oils.

Now add the Sherry, roasted red peppers, sun dried tomatoes, thyme, capers, olives, beans, saffron and black pepper. (Also butter beans and preserved Meyer lemons if you are using them.) Simmer for a couple minutes to marry.

Nestle the chicken thighs back into the pan and simmer on low, with the cover on but ajar, for 10 to 12 minutes, until the chicken is tender.

Serve with crusty bread or rice to soak up all the savory juices. Enjoy!