Pollo al ajillo (Spanish garlic chicken) with tomato salad
20 min · 41 g protein · 307 cals / serving
A Spanish tapas-bar favourite as a quick dinner: chunks of chicken browned in olive oil with a dozen cloves of sliced garlic, then splashed with white wine that turns into a glossy, garlicky pan sauce. A sharp tomato and red onion salad is the side.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 lb chicken breast, trimmed, cut into 4 cm (1 1/2-inch) pieces
- 1 tsp salt, divided
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 12 cloves garlic, pre-peeled cloves, thickly sliced
- 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
- 1/2 cup white wine, dry, or fino sherry
- 1/4 cup chicken broth
- 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
Tomato salad
- 2 large tomatoes, sliced
- 1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 2 tsp red wine vinegar, or sherry vinegar
Steps
- Season the chicken with most of the salt and the pepper. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat and brown the chicken in one layer, 4–5 minutes, turning once, until golden on most sides. Slice the garlic while the chicken browns.
- Push the chicken to the edges, add the garlic and chilli flakes to the middle and cook 1–2 minutes, stirring, until the garlic is pale gold (not brown). Pour in the wine and broth, scrape up the browned bits and simmer 4–5 minutes, turning the chicken, until it reads 165°F and the sauce has reduced to a few spoonfuls.
- Meanwhile, lay the tomatoes and onion on a platter, drizzle with the oil and vinegar and sprinkle with the last pinch of salt. Stir the parsley into the chicken and serve with the salad.
Good to know
Wine or sherry?
Andalusian cooks use a dry fino or manzanilla sherry, which gives a nutty depth; dry white wine is the everyday choice. Do not use sweet cream sherry.
Can I use chicken thighs?
Yes, and many Spanish cooks would: boneless thighs stay juicier in the garlic sauce and forgive a minute too long, at about 60 instead of 74. Give them 2–3 minutes more in step 2.
Alternative
Per
- Calories
- 123
- Protein
- (59%)
- 17 g
- Fat
- (30%)
- 4 g
- Carbohydrates
- (11%)
- 3 g
- of which sugar
- 1 g
- Fiber
- 1 g
- Sodium
- 257 mg
About 75% of the alcohol remains after cooking; the label counts only that.
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Computed from the ingredients with our published formula, not yet kitchen-tested. General guidance, not medical advice. Talk to your prescriber. How
As written, 1228 kcal goes into the pot and 1315 g of ingredients comes out as about 1000 g of food: 123 kcal per 100 g. Cooking moves water and energy density is the score's biggest lever, so the dish is scored as cooked, not as an average of its parts. Every ingredient links to its food page, with the same data and score. The label's percentages are each macronutrient's share of the calories. The full formula.