Braised Chicken Thighs thicken by Spanish Picada was inspired by Cook's Illustrated Recipe
Spanish Braised Chicken with Sherry and Saffron (Pollo en Pepitoria)[wpurp-searchable-recipe]Braised Chicken Thighs thicken with Spanish Picada - This braised chicken dish inspired by rich Spanish Sauce, that is thicken with Picada a pesto like puree of almonds, garlic, saffron, bread crumbs and hard cooked egg yolks with a hint of cinnamon. - chicken thighs (well trimmed ), olive oil, bacon (diced), onion (finely chopped), garlic (peeled and minced), bay leaf, black pepper (ground), kosher salt, sherry (dry), cinnamon stick, tomatoes (skinned, seeded and finely chopped), chicken stock, eggs (hard cooked & yolk and whites separated), garlic (peeled), white bread (crusts trimmed, ground into crumbs), almond, sliver (toasted and chopped), saffron (crumbled and soaked in 1 tbsp warm water), spanish paprika, flat leaf parsley (stem removed and chopped), lemon (juiced), Heat oil and diced bacon in dutch oven, cooking bacon until crisp. Remove bacon and set aside. Season each of chicken thighs with salt and black pepper then, add to the dutch oven chicken thighs skin down and brown skins on chicken, then turn chicken thighs over browning well. Remove chicken to resting plate.; Add to dutch oven, minced garlic and finely chopped onion continue cooking on medium heat until onions are lightly brown. ; Add the sherry to dutch oven and deglaze bottom of the dutch oven, cooking almost all sherry off, then add chicken thighs, bay leaf and cinnamon stick, chopped finely tomatoes and chicken stock. Cover with lid and bring braised chicken to simmer.; Place covered pan of chicken thighs in 325°F oven and braise for 50 minutes. ; After 50 minutes of braising time in oven, test with pairing knife piercing chicken thigh with knife it should go into meat easy. If not continue cooking for another 10 minutes.; Remove Braised Chicken Thighs from the oven, take cover off and remove chicken thighs from dutch oven onto resting plate. Once thighs have cooled enough, take the skins off each of the thighs. Discard skin.; To make the Picada thickener, place separated hard cooked egg yolk, garlic cloves, bread crumbs, toasted almonds, soaked saffron treads, and spanish paprika into blender and process, adding enough cooking liquid from Braised Chicken Thighs into smooth paste on high speed.; Pour the smooth picada mixture into dutch oven with cooking liquid mixture and bring to boil, stirring constantly until thickened, cooking about 2 to 3 minutes. Adjust seasoning with lemon juice, salt and pepper to taste and adding extra chicken stock to achieve right sauce consistency.; Arrange the chicken braised chicken thighs onto platter and pour Spanish Picada sauce over braised chicken thighs. Garnish with chopped hard cooked egg whites, chopped parsley and reserved crisp bacon. Serve at once.; - Serve the Braised Chicken Thighs thicken with Spanish Picada along with a bowl of white fluffy rice and crunchy french style bread.[/wpurp-searchable-recipe]