You either love them or you hate them. Yep, I am talking about garlic. I think it’s one of those ‘polarizing’ vegetables. I, used to be one of those who’d rather stay away from them. But, as you know, garlic is quite common in Italian cuisine, and Italian cuisine made me realize how much I love food – so there you go. This dish, Spanish Garlicky Chicken, is not Italian (you reckon?!), but still, the hero of the dish is garlic. The entire dish is almost like ‘an ode to garlic’.
Garlicky Chicken is normally served as ‘tapa’ in Spain, but when I cook it, I always serve it as a main dish. Serving it as ‘tapa’ is just NOT enough! 😀
When making this dish, you must make sure that you do not chop your garlic too small. Just crush them a bit and take off the skin. Chopping them too small will make them cook (and burn) too quickly. You also need to wait for their color to change into brown (at least the edges) before pouring the sherry (or substitute) to deglaze the pan.
In case you’re having a hard time looking for dry sherry, you can use madeira, red wine or white wine instead, using the same quantity. However, if you decide to use red wine vinegar, you must be careful with the amount. Start with 1 tsp of red wine vinegar and mix with chicken broth to make up for the entire 100 ml of sherry. Taste and keep adjusting to suit your preference.
As for the herbs, you don’t even need to take the leaves from their sprigs. I normally just chuck them all in and take out the twigs before serving.
If you prefer a bit more sauce, you can add some chicken broth with the sherry and wait for the sauce to slightly thicken before turning off the heat.
If you love garlic, this dish will surely become a regular in your house, just as it is in ours. If you abhor garlic, I still hope you give this dish a try (if you are reading this 🙁 ). Garlic is one of the most flavorful vegetable when cooked properly – just…sublime. 🙂
- 750 to 850 grams chicken, chopped into serving sizes
- 6 tbsp olive oil
- 1 small head of garlic, crushed and peeled
- 2 pieces dried bay leaf
- 6 sprigs fresh thyme
- 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
- 100 ml manzanilla sherry (or substitutes mentioned), madeira, red wine, white wine or red wine vinegar can be used
- salt and pepper, to season
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Leave the skin on the chicken and season with salt and pepper.
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Heat up a large pan (or casserole) and pour the olive oil. Once ready, fry the chicken until it has turned slightly brown. This normally takes 12 to 15 minutes.
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Turn the heat slightly lower and add the garlic and herbs. Continue cooking until the chicken has turned into a darker color and the garlic has started browning on the edges.
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Pour the sherry and deglaze the pan. Taste and season. Keep cooking until the sauce has reduced, about 5 minutes.
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Turn off the heat and serve.
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