Pollo en Pepitoria Recipe (Chicken in Almond Sauce)

pepitoria

The recipe for pollo en pepitoria is one of the most traditional ones in Spain. Pepitoria is the sauce that results from grinding almonds together with other ingredients explained down below. It gives an amazing flavour to the chicken. Originally, it was prepared with hen rather than chicken. There are several ingredients but they are not difficult to find, since is quite a simple recipe. It is said to have been Queen Isabella II’s favourite recipe. Shall we start?

Ingredients:

  • 1 chicken, cut into pieces
  • 350ml of chicken stock
  • 4 thin slices of bread
  • 2 small onions
  • 2 cloves of garlic
  • 2 hard-boiled eggs
  • 15 almonds
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 glass of white wine
  • A few strands of saffron
  • Parsley
  • Olive oil
  • Black pepper and salt

How to Make the Pollo en Pepitoria Recipe:

  1. Cut the chicken into medium-sized pieces and remove the skin (except the wings). Season with salt and pepper it. Set aside.
  2. Add a good drizzle of olive oil in a saucepan to brown the pieces of chicken. Cook for 10 minutes over medium heat until a nice golden colour is obtained. Remove from the heat and set aside.
  3. Add the peeled garlic cloves, bread slices and almonds to the same saucepan over medium-low heat. Gently brown everything.
  4. Meanwhile, boil the eggs covered with water in a saucepan for 8 minutes. Once the eggs are cooked, cool them in cold water and peel them. Finally, separate the yolks from the whites and put the yolks in a blender bowl.
  5. Add the garlic cloves, bread and almonds to bowl of the blender where the yolks had been reserved. Grind the mixture into a paste.
  6. Now fry the onion, stirring frequently for 10 minutes or until tender and translucent. Finally, deglaze the bottom of the pan with the white wine. Leave to cook for a few minutes for the alcohol to evaporate.
  7. Then, add the chicken and stock to start simmering. Remove half a glass from the broth and add the saffron strands to get their aroma.
  8. Remove another half glass from the stock and add it to the blender bowl over the almonds and the rest of the ingredients to blend well until you have a smooth sauce.
  9. Simmer the chicken for 15 minutes to finally add the mixed sauce and the bay leaf. Cook another 15 minutes or until the chicken is tender. The final cooking time will depend on the size and quality of the chicken.
  10. Finally, serve your pollo en pepitoria decorated with fresh parsley, the reserved egg whites cut into large pieces and slivered almonds. Delicious!

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Fascinating Spain