This braised chicken dish was off-the-charts DELICIOUS! I must admit, the dried prunes and apricots gave us pause, but after their brandy bath, and combined with the sliced shallots, it all melded together with the other ingredients into this pool of yummy jamminess.
Pollo a la catalana, or chicken simmered with wine and dried fruits, is a classic cool weather dish in the Catalonia region of Spain. A contrast of savory flavors and sweet accents characterizes the elegant braise, but there are no hard and fast rules to preparing it. But before you go tweaking it, I suggest you try the recipe as written below.
Barcelona home cook Cali Caparrós Sanchez shared her version with Milk Street, which is studded with apricots and prunes and spiked with a good measure of brandy. Picada (not to be confused with the Italian piccata)—is a blended or pounded pesto-like mix of olive oil, herbs, nuts, garlic and a starchy element such as bread or crackers to act as a binder—is customarily stirred into the dish at the finish. We used a large mortar and pestle to make the picada.
Milk Street adapted her recipe in this version. A mix of olive oil, grated garlic, chopped parsley and chopped smoked almonds (roasted or Marcona almonds are good, too) to spoon onto the braise just before serving.
The sauce wasn’t as thick as we would have liked it when the chicken pieces were ready, so we removed the thighs to a platter, covered with tinfoil, and continued reducing the sauce until it was the consistency we wanted. A portion of the picada was stirred into the sauce, the chicken uncovered, the sauce placed around the thighs, and the picada spooned on. It made a gorgeous presentation!
The smoked almonds may be unconventional, but their smokiness adds depth similar to pimentón. This simpler approach allows the flavors of the braise to be clearer and brighter. Serve with crusty bread and a simple salad; or as we did, with polenta.
NOTE: Don’t cover the pot when simmering the chicken. Allowing evaporation concentrates the braising liquid for richer flavor and consistency in the finished sauce. That said, don’t simmer too vigorously or the liquid may over-reduce and the dish will be left with too little sauce. Adjust the heat as needed to keep the liquid bubbling steadily but not approaching a boil.
Braised chicken and Tomatoes with Garlic and Dried Fruits
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup brandy
- 3/4 cup pitted prunes, quartered
- 1/3 cup dried apricots, quartered
- 3 lbs. bone-in, skin-on chicken leg quarters, thighs or drumsticks, trimmed
- Kosher salt and ground black pepper
- 1 Tbsp. plus ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil, divided
- 1 head garlic, outer papery skins removed, top third cut off and discarded, plus 1 medium garlic clove, finely grated
- 3 bay leaves
- 2 medium shallots, halved and thinly sliced
- 1 cup dry white wine
- 1 14½-oz. can diced tomatoes
- 1 cup lightly packed fresh flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
- 3 Tbsp. smoked almonds (see headnote), finely chopped
Directions
- In a small bowl, combine the brandy, prunes and apricots; set aside. Season the chicken on all sides with salt and pepper. In a large Dutch oven, combine 1 tablespoon of the oil and the garlic head, cut side down. Cook over medium-high until the cut side of the garlic is golden brown, about 3 minutes. Using tongs, transfer the garlic to a small plate or bowl.
- Place the chicken skin side down in the pot and cook without disturbing until well browned on the bottom, 5 to 8 minutes. Flip the chicken and cook until the second sides are lightly browned, 3 to 5 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat and transfer the chicken to a large plate, keeping the pieces skin side up.
- Return the garlic head, cut side down, to the pot and set the pot over medium. Add the bay and shallots; cook, stirring but leaving the garlic cut side down, until the shallots are lightly browned, 30 to 60 seconds. Add the wine and ¼ teaspoon each salt and pepper; bring to a simmer, scraping up any browned bits. Cook until reduced by about two-thirds, 5 to 7 minutes.
- Stir in the tomatoes with juices, dried fruit-brandy mixture and 1¼ cups water, then bring to a simmer. Nestle the chicken skin-side up in the pot and pour in any accumulated juices; the pieces should not be fully submerged. Simmer, uncovered, until a skewer inserted into the largest piece meets no resistance, 30 to 35 minutes. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, stir together the remaining ¼ cup oil, the parsley, almonds and grated garlic; set aside.
- Transfer the chicken to a platter. Remove and discard the bay. Using tongs, remove the garlic head and squeeze the cloves into the pot; discard the skins. Stir the garlic into the sauce, then taste and season with salt and pepper. Spoon the sauce over and around the chicken and garnish with the parsley-almond mixture.
Adaptation from Courtney Hill for Milk Street
Accounting for Taste 
Beautiful blog!
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Thank you so kindly!
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