Pollo en Pepitoria

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Heavy 28 to 30cm lidded casserole or wide Dutch oven
• •Large mortar and pestle or small food processor
• •Small saucepan for the eggs
• •Instant-read thermometer

Instructions

1. 1

   Cook the eggs

   Bring a small saucepan of water to a gentle boil. Lower in the eggs and cook for 10 minutes, then transfer them to cold water. Peel when cool and separate the yolks from the whites. Keep the yolks whole for the majado and finely chop the whites for serving.

2. 2

   Fry the majado base

   Heat 30ml of the olive oil in a wide casserole over medium-low heat. Fry the almonds for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring, until evenly pale gold. Add the garlic for the final minute, then lift both out before the garlic browns. Fry the bread in the same oil for 1 to 2 minutes per side until crisp and golden. Set it with the almonds and garlic. Put the saffron in a cup with 30ml of the warm stock and leave it to infuse for 10 minutes.

3. 3

   Season and flour chicken

   Pat the chicken completely dry. Season all over with 8g of the salt and the black pepper, then dust lightly with the flour. Shake off every loose patch. A thin coating helps the browned flavor cling to the sauce; a heavy one gives you paste.

4. 4

   Brown the chicken

   Add the remaining 45ml olive oil to the casserole and raise the heat to medium-high. Brown the chicken in two batches without crowding it, about 4 minutes on the skin side and 2 minutes on the other side. It should be properly golden but still raw inside. Transfer each batch to a plate. Leave about 30ml fat in the casserole and spoon off any excess.

5. 5

   Build the onion base

   Lower the heat and add the onion, bay leaf, and remaining 2g salt. Cook for 18 to 20 minutes, stirring often and scraping up the browned bits, until the onion is deep gold, very soft, and nearly jammy. This is the sofrito, the slow onion base, and rushing it leaves the sauce sharp and thin. Pour in the wine, raise the heat, and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, until reduced by about half and the raw wine smell is gone.

6. 6

   Braise in stages

   Return the thighs, drumsticks, and wings to the casserole. Add 410ml of the warm stock, keeping the final 60ml aside, and bring it just to a simmer. Cover and cook gently for 15 minutes. Add the breast pieces skin side up, cover again, and cook for another 18 to 22 minutes. The liquid should tremble, not boil hard. The breasts are ready at 74°C in the thickest part; the thighs are best between 78°C and 82°C, when the joint moves easily.

7. 7

   Pound the majado

   While the chicken braises, put the fried almonds, garlic, and bread in a large mortar. Pound for 3 to 4 minutes until no distinct almond pieces remain. Add the cooked yolks and 5g parsley, then pound again to a thick paste. Work in the saffron and its stock, followed by 120ml hot liquid taken from the casserole, a little at a time. A small food processor is fine, but run it until the paste is truly smooth. Coarse almonds stay sandy however long the sauce cooks.

   Rub a little majado between two fingers. If you feel hard almond grains, keep pounding. Pésalo, no lo adivines, and grind it just as carefully.
8. 8

   Finish the sauce

   Transfer the cooked chicken to a warm plate and discard the bay leaf. Stir the majado gradually into the casserole, keeping the heat low. Simmer gently for 6 to 8 minutes, stirring and scraping the base, until the sauce coats a spoon and a line drawn through it closes slowly. Do not let it boil hard. If it becomes too thick, add the reserved stock 15ml at a time. Return the chicken and its resting juices for 2 minutes, turning each piece once in the sauce.

9. 9

   Rest and serve

   Take the casserole off the heat and let it rest for 10 minutes. The sauce will settle around the chicken and grow a little thicker. Scatter over the chopped egg whites and remaining parsley, then serve from the casserole with plenty of sauce. Siempre sale, si lo sigues.

Chef Tips

• •A whole chicken gives you both light and dark meat, and its bones give the sauce better body. Bone-in thighs are the sensible substitute when you cannot buy a jointed bird; cook them for 35 to 40 minutes at the same gentle simmer.
• •Marcona almonds are sweet and tender, but freshness matters more than the name. Ordinary blanched almonds work well. Avoid old almonds with a waxy or bitter smell, because the sauce carries their flavor plainly.
• •Buy saffron as threads, not powder, and measure 0.15g. Let it open in warm stock before it reaches the mortar. Turmeric or yellow colouring gives colour but none of saffron's dry floral aroma, so it does not replace it here.
• •The finished sauce should coat the chicken but still run from the spoon. If it thickens while standing, loosen it with warm unsalted stock or water, one tablespoon at a time, rather than adding more wine.
• •Serve with fried or boiled potatoes, plain rice, or country bread for the sauce. A dry Verdejo from Rueda suits the almond and saffron without making the dish taste sweet.
• •Leftovers keep for up to 3 days in a covered container at 4°C or colder. Reheat slowly, adding a spoonful of water if needed, until the chicken reaches 74°C.

Advance Preparation

• •The eggs can be cooked and the almond, garlic, and bread fried up to 24 hours ahead. Refrigerate the peeled eggs and keep the fried ingredients covered at room temperature.
• •The complete dish can be made one day ahead. Cool it promptly, refrigerate the chicken in its sauce, and keep the chopped egg white and parsley separate. Reheat very gently, loosening the sauce with 30 to 60ml water or unsalted stock before garnishing.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 440g)