Ajopollo
4-6
servings
Appetizer
Course
Print Recipe
Ingredients
Directions
Ingredients
1
head of garlic, divided into 2 parts
1 c
extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1
egg
⅓ c
whole blanched almonds
4 sm
slices of bread, cut in half (from a boule, baguette, or even sandwich bread)
2
Roma tomatoes
2 lb
chicken wings
2 ½ lb
Yukon gold potatoes, peeled
2
bay leaves
Salt
1
pinch saffron, about 15 threads
1 ½ tsp
ground cumin
½ tsp
fresh ground black pepper
Like much of Spain’s best dishes, this is poor man’s food—made to stick to your bones with layers of starchy potatoes and fried bread. It hails from Salome Machín’s family in Almería, an agricultural city on the southeastern Mediterranean coast known for its black volcanic sand and proximity to northern Africa. Though the recipe calls for chicken, many residents opt for fish or calamari instead.
Directions
- Cut the potatoes into irregularly shaped pieces, about the size of cotton balls.
- Place potatoes in another large pot and fill with water just to cover. Add bay leaf, half the head of garlic, and a few pinches of salt, and boil potatoes until tender, about 15-20 minutes.
- Heat 1/3-1/2 cup of olive oil in large pot on medium heat. Add wings and cook until golden, about 10-15 minutes.
- Heat 1/3 cup of olive oil in a small skillet on medium heat. Using the remaining head of garlic, break apart the cloves, leaving the skin on, and make a small slit through the flesh of each clove. Fry for 1 minute in oil, remove with slotted spoon, and place onto a large plate. Remove skin when cool.
- Fry egg in remaining simmering oil for about 30 seconds to one minute, until it begins to puff up. Remove with slotted spoon and place on the plate.
- Add almonds and fry until golden brown. Remove with slotted spoon and place on the plate.
- Add slices of bread to oil and fry until golden brown. Remove with slotted spoon and place on plate. Pour out most of oil, leaving about 1 tablespoon in the pan.
- Add whole tomatoes to skillet and heat until skin is blackened in some parts. Remove from heat and place on the plate. Remove skin when cool.
- Wipe out skillet. Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil on medium-low heat and add saffron, cooking about one minute.
- Place saffron, fried garlic, egg, almonds, bread, tomato, cumin, black pepper, a pinch of salt, and 1 1/2 cups of potato liquid in blender (or use an immersion blender) and blend until a thick sauce forms.
- Once potatoes are cooked, remove bay leaf and garlic.
- Add cooked potatoes and their liquid to pot of chicken wings, as well as the spiced saffron sauce and 1/3 cup of water.
- Heat on low until warm and ready to serve.
Megan Lloyd
Megan Lloyd is a freelance writer, cook, and recipe developer. Though originally from Houston, she currently resides in Sevilla, Spain.