SPANISH-INSPIRED PAN ROASTED CHICKEN

SPANISH-INSPIRED PAN ROASTED CHICKEN

#SIAintheKitchen

I saw this dish posted on my friend Shaun Layton’s Instagram story and I knew I just had to make it. I had all of the ingredients on-hand so it was practically a no-brainer. I love anything that he makes. Plus, being the owner of Vancouver’s best Spanish restaurant was also another plus. He knows his shit. So when I saw him post a recipe for Spanish-inspired pan roasted chicken, I knew I had to give it a go.

I have to use the word “inspired” there because it is a Spanish recipe (original posted below) but I didn't have Spanish olive oil or Spanish olives on me (both were Italian - not a bad choice either). Nevertheless, the recipe was a hit. My house smelled so great when I was making this on live.

The tips here are using a really fruity olive oil, great olives, and browning the chicken. Browning the chicken releases a lot of flavour and fat which, as you may know, equals flavour. Sauteing the onions and garlic in the chicken adds another great layer of flavour here. Of course, anything with wine tastes great. For this recipe, I used some late harvest to de-glaze the pan initially and dry Chardonnay for the rest of the dish. Rosemary added a really nice finish to the dish as well as with a healthy dose of extra olive oil at the end before serving.

SPANISH-INSPIRED PAN ROASTED CHICKEN - serves 2 (adapted from The Happy Foodie)

• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

• 4 bone-skin, skin-on chicken thighs

• salt + pepper, to season

• 1 yellow onion, sliced

• 1 head garlic, sliced

• 1/4 cup late harvest wine

• 1 cup dry white wine

• 1 cups whole olives

• 2 sprigs fresh rosemary

• 1 tsp kosher salt

1. In a cast iron skillet, heat the extra-virgin olive oil over medium-high heat. Season the chicken thighs on both sides and add to the pan, skin-side down. Brown chicken on each side for 5 minutes. Remove the thighs from the pan and set aside.

2. Add in the onions to the pan and sauté, ensuring each piece of onion is coated in oil, about 4 minutes. Add in the sliced garlic and cook for another 3 minutes. De-glaze the pan with the late harvest and allow for the alcohol to cook off and evaporate. Once the late harvest is nearly evaporated, add 1/2 of the dry white wine. Bring the chicken back to the pan and brown further to finish cooking it - be sure to cook on both sides.

3. Add in the olives around the chicken. Add in the other 1/2 cup of wine. Season with salt and pepper. The juices for the chicken should run clear when cooked - about another 10 - 15 minutes, depending on how larger chicken thighs are. Add in the sprigs of rosemary. Dish should be finish when the alcohol has evaporated. I served mine with roasted potatoes, broccoli and mushrooms.