Wednesday, September 13, 2006

Spanish Baked Chicken

I recently posted a few recipes I'd be making in the near future, and Elise's Spanish Baked Chicken was first on the list. After cutting up a whole chicken, I let it marinate a day in the raisin, olive and vinaigrette mixture.

Last night I added a handful of extra garlic cloves, some white wine, a sprinkling of brown sugar, and popped the dish into the oven for about an hour, just until the skin was nicely browned and the sauce was slightly reduced and fragrant.

On the side I made pan-steamed broccoli. Separate the broccoli into florets. Heat over medium-high heat a film of olive oil. When shimmering, briefly saute a sliced garlic clove and then add the florets and stir fry a minute or so until starting to brown. Toss in a quarter cup or so of water, cover and let it steam until it's bright green and crisp tender. Finish with a pat of butter, salt and pepper.

Here's the recipe, slightly adapted. Thank you, Elise. This is a winner.

Spanish Baked Chicken

1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
2 teaspoons oregano
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
Dash of pepper
3 bay leaves
1/2 cup golden raisins
1/4 cup sliced pitted green olives
3 pounds chicken parts
handful of extra garlic cloves, peeled
2 Tbsp brown sugar
1/2 cup dry white wine

1 In a medium bowl combine the olive oil, vinegar, oregano, salt, garlic powder, pepper, bay leaves, raisins and olives. Prick the skin of the chicken with fork tines and add to the marinade, coating well. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

2 Preheat oven to 350°F. Place chicken in a 12x8x2-inch baking dish. Combine wine with the marinade and pour over chicken. Sprinkle chicken with brown sugar. Scatter the handful of garlic. Bake uncovered at 350°F, basting occasionally, until chicken is tender, about 50 minutes. Remove bay leaves.

Serves 4

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