Spanish style chicken
If you are a foodie, you know that sherry, almonds and saffron are going hand in hand with Spanish cuisine like so many other familiar ingredients. While we know more about sherry and almonds, the knowledge about saffron is not as widely spread. Saffron is collected from the blossom of Crocus sativus (Iridaceae), commonly known as saffron bulbs. Saffron flowers come out in autumn and are harvested for the red stigmas that we all know as saffron threads, from which the spice is derived. Each blossom yields three stigmas and are carefully picked BY HAND!!!!!!!!! You need 150000 to 200000 saffron threads for 1 kg fresh saffron. After the drying process you end up with 250 g dried Saffron threads. No wonder it is called the red gold.
Ingredients
- 60 ml olive oil (divided 30:30)
- 8 pieces chicken (drumstick, thighs)
- salt and pepper
- 1 onion, peeled and chopped
- 30 ml honey
- 100 ml sherry, sweet
- 1 pinch saffron (2,5 ml turmeric)
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 100 g whole almonds, skinned
- 100 g golden raisins
- 400 ml chicken stock
- 250 g tomatoes, deseeded and chopped
- 1 tin chickpeas
- 1/4 bunch fresh parsley chopped
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180 CHeat 30 ml oil in an oven proofed pan with lid, season the chicken pieces with salt and pepper and brown them all over in the pan.Take the chicken out of the pan and set aside.Add the rest oil to the pan and fry the onions until translucent.Mix the onions with the honey, sherry, saffron, garlic, almonds, raisins and chicken stock. Put the chicken pieces on top and close with the lid. Bake for 25 minutes in the preheated oven.Now add the chopped tomatoes and chickpeas and bake for another 10 to 15 minutes in the oven without lid. Check the seasoning and scatter with the parsly.Enjoy with lots of crusty bread.