Pollo al Ajillo (Spanish Garlic Chicken)

Chicken thighs slowly browned with whole garlic cloves, white wine and bay.

TIME BREAKDOWN
Prep: 15 min
Cook: 55 min
Total: 1 hour 10 minutes
Vegetarian
❌
Nuts
❌
Serves
4 people
Difficulty
Easy

Ingredients

  • 8 bone-in chicken thighs, about 1.2kg
  • 4 tbsp olive oil
  • 10 cloves garlic, unpeeled and lightly crushed
  • 150ml dry white wine
  • 100ml chicken stock (1/2 stock cube)
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 tsp dried thyme
  • 2 tbsp chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
  • Salt and black pepper to taste

Method

  1. Season the chicken well. Heat the oil in a large, lidded frying pan or casserole over a medium-high heat and brown the chicken for 6 to 8 minutes on each side. Transfer to a plate.

  2. Add the garlic to the pan and cook for 2 minutes. Pour in the wine and let it bubble for 3 minutes, scraping up the sticky bits.

  3. Return the chicken to the pan, add the stock, bay leaves and thyme, cover and simmer gently for 30 minutes.

  4. Remove the lid and simmer for a further 10 minutes until the chicken is tender and the sauce is reduced. Scatter over the parsley and serve with crusty bread and the soft garlic squeezed from its skins.