POLLASTRE AMB SAMFAINA - CHICKEN WITH 'SAMFAINA' SAUCE


I love samfaina, a very traditional Catalan sauce (a kind of ratatouille), that is cooked with poultry, rabbit or with salted cod. It's just sooo yummy!! This is a recipe for chicken, but you can follow the instructions to make the sauce and use it for anything you like. You can make a big bunch and freeze it for another day.

INGREDIENTS:
1.5 kg chicken drumsticks
1 glass white wine
250g speck (optional)
Olive oil
1 Tbsp duck fat (optional)
Samfaina sauce
6 cloves garlic, chopped
2 eggplants, diced
1 red capsicum, sliced
1 green capsicum, sliced
3 zucchini, diced
2 onion, thinly sliced
1 x 400g tin fresh tomatoes
a handful of parsley, chopped
sweet paprika
olive oil 
a pinch of sugar 
salt and pepper


METHOD
Preheat oven to 180C.
Season the chicken legs and put in an ovenproof casserole together with oil and the duck fat (if using). 


Cook until they are slightly brown all over. Remove chicken from pan and set apart.


In the casserole, add a bit of oil and cook the speck until it's nicely brown. 


Add the wine, stirring to deglaze the bottom of the casserole and cook until it has almost evaporated.


Add the onion and garlic, mix well and cover the casserole. Let it cook in a slow-heat until tender, about 5 minutes. 


Add the capsicum, stir well and cover and cook until soft, about 5 minutes.


Add the eggplant and stir well. Again, cover and cook until soft, about 5 minutes.


Add the zucchini and cook covered until soft, about 5 minutes.


Add the tomato, parsley and paprika and season with salt, pepper and a pinch of sugar. Stir to combine.


Transfer to the oven and cook until chutney consistency, about 45 minutes.


Reduce the oven to 150C.
Add the chicken with all its juices to the casserole and bring to the boil over the stove. 


Cover and transfer to the oven. Bake in the oven until chicken is cooked through and it's falling off the bones, about 1 and a half to 2 hours. 


Let it rest to develop the flavours and serve.

Serves 6-8


It is always better the day after. Make sure you have some crusty bread to mop up the sauce!
You can cook chicken the day before and reheat it before serving. Chicken should be very hot to avoid salmonella!!

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