Chicken in Almond Sauce

(click to enlarge)	Chicken in Almond Sauce Spain - Catalonia - Pollo en Pepitoria
(click to enlarge)	Serves: Effort: Sched: DoAhead:	6 main *** 1-1/4 hr Yes		This recipe, first published in the 16th century, probably hails from Moorish times. It was the Moors who brought almonds and saffron to Spain, and sauces made from them.

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Chicken Meat (1)
Salt
Pepper, black
Onions
-- Vegies
Boiling Onions (2)
Carrots
Potatoes (3)
White Wine, dry
Chicken Stock (4)
Bay Leaves
-- Sauce
Almonds, blanched
Garlic, large
Saffron
Eggs, hard boiled
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Olive Oil (5)
Salt
Pepper, black
Cinnamon
-- Garnish
Egg Whites

My recipe, configured for buffet service, differs somewhat from most recipes for this dish - see Comments.

Prep - (45 min)

Cut CHICKEN into large bite size pieces, about 2 inches is good. Tumble them well with the Salt and Pepper
Chop 6 oz ONION fine.
Scald BOILING ONIONS 1 minute in boiling water, quench in cold water. Trim a little off the tip and peel. Trim the root end minimally, so it holds the onions together.
Peel CARROTS and cut into 1/2 to 1 inch long rounds, depending on size.
Peel POTATOES and cut into 3/4 inch chunks. Hold in cold water until needed.

Prepare Sauce - (25 min)

Boil and peel EGGS (Best Method). Separate Yolks from Whites. Crush Yolks lightly. Chop Whites small for Garnish and set aside.
Soak SAFFRON in 1 T warm water for 15 minutes.
Peel GARLIC, crush and chop fine.
Run ALMONDS in a mini-prep processor or similar until as finely ground as they will get. Add chopped Garlic, Egg Yolks and Saffron (with its water). Grind together as best you can, scraping down the sides often.

Run - (50 min)

In a sauté pan or skillet, heat Olive Oil and fry Chicken over moderately high heat, tumbling until lightly browned. Be careful any fond that adheres to the pan does not burn. Remove to the Stew Pot or Dutch Oven, leaving Oil behind.
Add Onions, Carrots and Potatoes to the Stew Pot. Arrange all contents neatly.
Stir Wine into the frying pan and bring to a simmer, scraping up all the fond. Pour in with the Chicken.
Add Stock to the Pot, along with Salt, Pepper Cinnamon and Bay Leaves. Bring to a boil and simmer slowly until Chicken is tender, about 30 minutes (45 min or more for whole joints).
Strain out solids and set aside, returning all the liquid to the pot.
Stir enough liquid from the pot into the Sauce to make a fairly thin paste. Whisk the paste into the pot. Bring to a slow boil and simmer slowly for about 15 minutes, covered or uncovered as needed to adjust consistency - this sauce should be quite liquid, or it will seize up when off the heat.
Stir the Chicken and Vegetables back into the sauce until well heated.
Serve hot, garnished with chopped Egg Whites and/or chopped Parsley.

NOTES:

Chicken Meat:
Weight is skinless, boneless Thigh and/or Leg meat, now easily available in markets. The pattern recipe called for a whole 3 to 4 pound chicken cut into serving pieces - see Comments.
Boiling Onions:
These should be maximum 1-1/2 inches diameter. a bit smaller is better.
Potatoes:
White Rose or similar work well in recipes of this sort. Avoid Yukon Gold type potatoes - they quickly turn to mush with long cooking. Actually, The pattern recipe called for tiny Red Potatoes with skins on, but none that small are available around here. If peeled or cut, reds don't hold together as well as White Rose. For details see our Potatoes page.
Stock:
If using my method here for buffet service (chicken leg and thigh chunks) use the bones, skins and fat to make the Stock so no flavor is lost. Defat the stock using your Gravy Separator.
Olive Oil
Temperatures will be a bit high, so use Pure Olive Oil, not Virgin.
Comments:
- As it is popularly served in restaurants, this dish is usually just the sauce over whole chicken thighs and/or drumsticks. Recipes may call for them skinless to cut the amount of fat. If skin-on, most of the fat must be poured off at the end of the frying step.
- The pattern recipe is different in including vegetables, but it originates from a Spanish cook employed in the home, where this approach is quite practical. It called for a whole chicken cut into serving pieces, with the excess fat poured off after frying.
- For convenience of buffet service, my recipe uses leg and thigh chunks rather than whole joints. This can also eliminate fights over who gets which piece for home service. The Chicken chunks match the size of the vegetables nicely, and there will be no excess fat to pour off. There will be no loss of flavor, because the Stock will be made of the bones and skins.
U.S. measure: t=teaspoon, T=Tablespoon, c=cup, qt=quart, oz=ounce, #=pound, cl=clove in=inch, ar=as required tt=to taste

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Chicken in Almond Sauce

Chicken Meat:

Boiling Onions:

Potatoes:

Stock:

Olive Oil

Comments: