Pollo al ajillo | Chicken Garlic
As you probably know by now, in Spain we love our garlic. We love a good chicken too – perhaps this is why this is one of the most popular dishes on any tapas bar menu. It’s also very popular done with rabbit – if rabbit is available, I recommend you give it a try.
If you like a bit more sauce, add a chopped onion along with the garlic and don’t let the sherry reduce as much – perfect for dipping fresh bread into!
INGREDIENTS
1 whole Chicken, about 1.5 kg, or 1 kg chicken thighs
100 ml Olive oil
1 large head of Garlic, cloves peeled and crushed
1 Bay leaf
10 sprigs of Thyme, leaves picked
1 sprig of Rosemary, leaves picked and chopped (optional)
200ml Manzanilla sherry
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Preparation
If using a whole chicken, joint it into 8 pieces and then cut any large joints in half to give you about 10–12 pieces. Leave the skin on. Season generously with salt and pepper.
Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy-based pan or casserole over a medium heat and add the chicken pieces. Fry the chicken on all sides until light golden; this should take about 15 minutes. Add the garlic and herbs and continue to cook until the chicken has taken on a dark brown colour, about 10 minutes.
Add the sherry and stir to deglaze the bottom of the pan. Cook for another 5 minutes, until the sauce has reduced right down to almost nothing. Taste and adjust the seasoning and serve.