This is a Spanish chicken recipe called “Pollo en Sanfaina”. It incorporates Spanish ham, or “Jamón”, and lots of lovely fresh vegetables. The star of the show is however the chicken and it is slow cooked until juicy and tender in the vegetable juices and added stock. Chicken and ham are used together regularly in Spanish cooking and they are, of course, a match made in heaven. If you want to add an element of luxury to your meal try sourcing some “Jamón ibérico de bellota”, which is commonly considered to be the finest of all the Spanish hams. This ham is from free-range pigs that roam oak forests along the border between Spain and Portugal. They eat only acorns and their regular exercise and diet has a significant impact on the flavor of the meat, which is then cured for 36 months. The taste is significantly better than your run-of-the-mill jamón, but of course you will have to fork out quite a few euros extra for the pleasure!
“Pollo en Sanfaina”
Ingredients for 4 people:
1.25 kg of chicken
150 g of Spanish ham
2 green peppers
250 grms of tomato sauce
1 cup of stock
1 big onion
1 aubergine
1 courgette
1 garlic clove
1 bay leaf
5 tablespoons of olive oil
Salt to taste
Ground black pepper to taste
Preparation:
Chop the ham, garlic clove and onion.
Wash the aubergine and cut it into slices.
Wash the courgette, peal it without removing all the skin and cut it into slices.
Wash the chicken, dry it with kitchen paper and cut it into pieces.
Heat the oil in a pan on a low heat and brown the chicken on both sides.
Lower the heat further and add the ham and all the vegetables.
Add the bay leaf, the stock, the salt and pepper and leave to cook for 50-60 minutes, until the chicken is tender.
