← Nouns Cooking · Spanish

Ingredients

• 1 pinch good pinch of saffron
• 4 tbsp Olive oil
• 4 cloves Garlic, peeled and left whole
• 40 g blanched almonds
• 1 slice day-old bread, crusts removed
• 8 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (about 1.2 kg)
• 2 tbsp flour, for dusting
• 1 Onion, finely chopped
• 2 Bay leaves
• 200 ml dry fino sherry or dry white wine
• 350 ml chicken stock
• 1 small piece of cinnamon stick (optional)
• 2 eggs, hard-boiled
• 2 tbsp Parsley, chopped
• salt and black pepper

Method

1. Soak the saffron in 2 tbsp of warm water. Heat the oil in a large, deep pan or casserole over medium heat and fry the garlic, almonds and bread for 3–4 min, turning, until all golden. Lift them out with a slotted spoon and set aside.
2. Season the chicken, dust it lightly with flour and brown it in the same oil over medium-high heat for 8–10 min, turning, until golden. Set aside.
3. Lower the heat, add the onion and bay leaves and cook for 8 min until soft and sweet. Pour in the sherry and let it bubble for 2 min, scraping up the browned bits.
4. Return the chicken, add the stock and cinnamon (if using), cover and simmer gently for 35 min.
5. Meanwhile, pound or blitz the fried almonds, garlic and bread with the saffron and its water, the 2 hard-boiled egg yolks, half the parsley and a ladle of the cooking liquid into a smooth paste (the picada).
6. Stir the picada into the pan and simmer uncovered for 10 min, until the sauce thickens and turns pale gold and the chicken reaches 75°C (165°F) by the bone. Season, then scatter with the chopped egg whites and the rest of the parsley.

Tips

• Contains almonds: leave them out and add an extra slice of fried bread for a nut-free picada.
• It tastes even better made a day ahead; reheat gently with a splash of stock.

Sources

Written in our own words after cross-checking these recipes:

BBC Good Food Foods & Wines from Spain The Spanish Chef (Omar Allibhoy)