Braised chicken with mushrooms
Serves: 4
Prep time: 35 minsTotal time: 
Recipe photograph by Dan Jones
Braised chicken with mushrooms
This Spanish braised chicken dish or "Pollastre amb bolets" is a comforting winter warmer. The combination of almond, hazelnut, garlic, rosemary, mushroom and white wine in this dish is one of the great tastes of Catalunya
Serves: 4
Prep time: 35 minsTotal time: 
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Nutritional information (per serving)
Calories
595Kcal
Fat
29gr
Saturates
6gr
Carbs
1gr
Sugars
1gr
Fibre
1gr
Protein
72gr
Salt
0.6gr
Monika Linton, founder of Brindisa
Monika Linton is the owner of the Spanish food company and London tapas bars chain Brindisa. She shares her 30 years of experience in her book, The True Food of Spain
See more of Monika Linton, founder of Brindisa’s recipes
Monika Linton, founder of Brindisa
Monika Linton is the owner of the Spanish food company and London tapas bars chain Brindisa. She shares her 30 years of experience in her book, The True Food of Spain
See more of Monika Linton, founder of Brindisa’s recipes
Ingredients
- 1kg pack chicken thighs and drumsticks (or 1x 1.8-2kg chicken, cut into 8 pieces)
- 3-4 tbsp olive oil
- 1-2 sprigs of rosemary (according to taste)
- 3 bay leaves
- 50ml white wine
- 50ml Cognac or brandy
- 3 tbsp Moscatel* or sherry vinegar
- 2 garlic cloves, unpeeled
- 400g wild or chestnut mushrooms, cleaned, trimmed and sliced
For the picada (a pesto-like paste common in Catalan cuisine)
- 8 blanched almonds
- 8 blanched hazelnuts
- 3 garlic cloves, peeled
- 1 tbsp olive oil
Step by step
Get ahead
Prepare up to the end of step 3 the day before. The finished dish can be frozen.
- Preheat the oven to 180°C, fan 160°C, gas 4. For the picada, toast the nuts on a baking tray for 7 minutes, or until golden. Using a pestle and mortar, crush the garlic with a pinch of sea salt, then add the nuts and continue to pound, adding the olive oil, until you have a paste.
- Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large lidded casserole. Put in the chicken pieces and brown on all sides for about 10 minutes. Fry the pieces in batches if you need to (don’t overcrowd the pan) then, once all browned, add back to the pan. Add the herbs, wine, Cognac, vinegar and 100ml water and bubble up, uncovered, for 5 minutes, then turn down the heat, cover, and cook slowly for 15 minutes, turning the pieces of chicken from time to time to prevent them drying out on one side.
- Meanwhile, bash the garlic cloves with the back of a knife to crack them. Heat another tablespoon of olive oil in a separate pan, put in the garlic and fry for a minute before adding the mushrooms. Cook briefly until coloured, then take off the heat and keep to one side. If you have a mixture of mushrooms, cook the meatiest first, set aside, then cook any more fragile ones separately, being careful to not let their moisture evaporate. You may find you need another tablespoon of olive oil if cooking the mushrooms in batches. The cooking time varies with different types of mushroom, but none should take more than 5 minutes.
- When all the mushrooms are cooked, discard the garlic and add the mushrooms to the chicken, then add the picada and stir well. Taste the sauce and add a pinch of salt if you feel it is necessary. You may need to add more water at this stage – perhaps another 100ml – so there is enough sauce.
-
Allow to simmer, uncovered, over a low heat for a further 10 minutes while the chicken cooks through, the picada thickens the sauce and the flavours mingle. If the sauce is too liquid, take off the lid and let it bubble up and reduce for a few more minutes. Remove the herbs, then serve with mash, polenta or crusty bread.
Recipes adapted from Brindisa: The True Food Of Spain by Monika Linton (Fourth Estate, £29.95)Tip*Available from brindisa.com
