Spanish Chicken Breasts With Lemon And Saffron Recipes

SPANISH CHICKEN BREASTS WITH LEMON AND SAFFRON

Steps:

• TO MARINADE:
• Season the chicken breasts with salt and freshly ground black pepper and place in a dish together with the rest of the marinade ingredients. Mix together well, then cover and place in the fridge to marinate for two hours, turning the chicken breasts over from time to time.
• TO COOK THE CHICKEN:
• Preheat the oven to 180C/365F/Gas 4.
• Heat a large ovenproof frying pan until hot, then add 90ml/3fl oz of the olive oil, the shallots, carrots and asparagus and gently fry over a low heat until the vegetables are barely softened, remove the vegetables from the pan with a slotted spoon and set aside. Add the remaining 30ml/1fl oz of olive oil to the pan and heat.
• Remove the chicken from the marinade and pat dry. Add the chicken breasts to the pan and fry for 2-3 minutes on both sides, until golden-brown all over.
• Remove from the heat and return the vegetables, then, using a fine sieve, strain the marinade over the chicken and discard the solid marinade ingredients.
• Transfer to the oven and cook for one hour, or until the chicken is cooked through and the sauce has reduced by half. About 15 minutes before the end of cooking time, pour in the saffron and its soaking liquid.
• To serve, remove the chicken from the oven and place onto plates. Place spoonfuls of vegetables alongside and spoon the sauce over. Garnish with freshly grated lemon zest sprinkled over the top.

BRAISED LEMON-SAFFRON CHICKEN AND POTATOES

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Using a mortar and pestle (or the bottom of a spoon and a bowl), grind the saffron threads into a powder as best you can. Add the 2 tablespoons hot water and stir to combine. Set aside.
• Place the chicken in a 9-by-13-inch roasting pan or baking dish. Cut large potatoes into 1-inch pieces and add to the pan. Drizzle the chicken and potatoes with the oil, then season well with salt and pepper.
• Add the lemon juice to the saffron water, mix to combine, then pour over the chicken and potatoes, stirring to coat. Arrange the chicken skin-side down. Sprinkle evenly with the whole black peppercorns, if using, then cover tightly with foil. (It's OK if everything is close together.)
• Cook until the meat is tender and easily pulled from the bone, and the potatoes are soft, about 1 1/2 hours. During the last 15 minutes, remove the foil, flip the chicken, stir the potatoes and cook for 15 minutes more, uncovered, to reduce some of the liquid.
• Season with black pepper and serve with rice or pita to soak up the lemony juices.

SPANISH-STYLE CHICKEN WITH SAFFRON RICE (ARROZ CON POLLO)

Steps:

• Pat chicken dry and season with salt and pepper. Heat oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet (at least 2 inches deep) over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then brown chicken on all sides, about 12 minutes total. Transfer chicken with tongs to a plate.
• Pour off all but 2 tablespoons fat from skillet and add onion, bell pepper, and salt to taste. Cook over moderate heat, stirring, until softened, about 7 minutes. Add garlic, paprika, and rice, then cook, stirring, 1 minute. Add wine and boil, uncovered, 2 minutes. Stir in tomatoes with juice, chicken broth, saffron, and bay leaf. Nestle chicken in rice, adding any juices from plate.
• Cook, covered, over low heat until chicken is cooked through, rice is tender, and most of liquid is absorbed, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in peas, olives, and salt and pepper to taste. Cover skillet and let stand 10 minutes. Discard bay leaf.