Chicken Chilindrón

“Fresh” and “sunny” aren’t adjectives we normally associate with stew, which is why we loved the light, simple chilindrón that Rose Maria Loraque Gimeno served us at the Zaragoza market in Spain.

Makes
4 to 6 servings
Cook Time
1 hour
Active time plus cooling
40 minutes active
Rating
5

From the Aragon region of Spain, chilindrón is a dish of meat or poultry stewed with tomatoes, bell peppers and onions. Though beef or lamb chilindrón is also common, we opted to make a lighter version with chicken breasts. We loved the fresh, sunny flavor of the chilidrón de pollo that Rose Maria Loraque Gimeno prepares at Mama Tere poultry shop in Zaragoza’s central market, so we created a similar braise, one in which the vegetables and the chicken share the spotlight. A generous measure of smoked paprika, stirred in at the end, adds earthy notes and a smokiness that give the dish a uniquely Spanish character. Serve with warm, crusty bread for soaking up the sauce.

Tip

Don’t use supersized chicken breasts; try to find ones that weigh about 12 ounces each. If they are much larger, the pieces won’t fit comfortably in the pot. Also, don’t use underripe tomatoes. We find that cocktail tomatoes, sometimes sold as Campari tomatoes, to be dependably sweet and good year-round.

Ingredients

4
12-ounce bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts, trimmed, patted dry and halved crosswise
Kosher salt and ground black pepper
2
tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more to serve
1
large red onion, halved and thinly sliced
4
medium garlic cloves, smashed and peeled
1
large thyme sprig
1
medium red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded and cut into ½-inch strips
1
pound ripe tomatoes, cored and cut into 1½- to 2-inch chunks
½
cup dry white wine
2
tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1
tablespoon smoked sweet paprika

Step 1

Season the chicken on all sides with salt and pepper. In a large Dutch oven over medium-high, heat the oil until barely smoking. Place the chicken skin down in the pot and cook without disturbing until well browned, about 7 minutes. Transfer skin up to a plate.

Step 2

To the fat remaining in the pot, add the onion and ½ teaspoon salt. Stir, then cover and cook until the onion is slightly softened, about 3 minutes, stirring once or twice.

Add the garlic and thyme, then cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in the bell pepper, tomatoes and wine; bring to a simmer. Nestle the chicken skin up in the vegetables, then cover the pot and reduce to medium-low.

Step 3

Cook at a simmer until the thickest part of each breast reaches 160°F, 20 to 30 minutes. As they are done, transfer them to a serving dish (thinner pieces will be done ahead of thicker ones) and tent with foil to keep warm.

Step 4

Once all the chicken has been removed from the pot, increase to medium-high. Cook the vegetables and braising liquid, stirring occasionally, until the liquid thickens slightly, about 10 minutes.

Step 5