Sweet and smoky, this Spanish chicken recipe is the essence of Spain. A perfect balance of fragrance, flavour and colour. Simple to make and the perfect dish anytime.
Add all the marinade ingredients into a large bag and toss around to ensure all the chicken is coated. Refrigerate for 12-24 hours to marinate.
Heat an oven to 200ºc/400ºf Tip the chicken and marinade into an ovenproof dish or roasting pan and arrange the skin-side up. Bake for 45 minutes, basting the chicken with the juices every 10 minutes or so. Add a little water if the juices dry up. The pan should stay a little moist.
Scatter over the olives and bake for a further 15 minutes, again basting once or twice, until the chicken skin is browned.
Remove from the oven and serve hot, scattered with fresh parsley
Notes
Spice it up - Use spicy Spanish paprika and alongside the olives, add a few whole spicy chillies like Hatch, Serrano or Jalapeño.
Herbs - alongside the spices, ill often add a small bunch of herbs into the marinade. My go-to's are thyme, oregano, sage and tarragon.
Vegetables - I recently made my Spanish Chicken with some asparagus spears and fresh garden peas added in the last 10 minutes of baking - to much applause! You can also add artichoke hearts, salad potatoes, beans, cherry tomatoes and bell peppers. Whatever takes your fancy!
A sour note - Add 1-2 tablespoons of Sherry vinegar to the marinade for a tangier, lightly sour note to the sauce. It's super delicious.
You can serve the dish direct from the pan simply scattered with parsley and generous amounts of crusty bread to mop up the sauce.
I'll also serve alongside some other vegetables like asparagus, potatoes, beans or sweet Spanish roasted red peppers. A simple salad will work excellently too.
Storage:
Fridge - my Spanish chicken will stay fresh (in an airtight container) for up to a week.
Freezer - Freeze in portions in airtight containers or freezer bags for 3+ months. Defrost thoroughly before reheating in the oven for 10 minutes. Add a little water to avoid the sauce drying up. You can also microwave to reheat.