Chicken that Fancies Itself Spanish with Lemons, Onions & Olives

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A&M say: It was the attention to detail in MeghanVK's cleverly adapted recipe that won us over: the blend of pecorino, flour and smoked paprika used to coat the chicken that renders it shaggy and crisp when browned, the inclusion of both lemon zest and quartered lemons, a dash of cinnamon to lend toasty warmth. And lots of other Spanish flavors are there to join the party: garlic, onion, paprika, fennel, green olives, tomato, white wine. We found that the tenor of the smoky, tangy sauce depended on the quality of the lemons; if your lemons have a thick pith, you'll want to just zest them and squeeze in their juice to avoid a bitter sauce. - A&M

MeghanVK says: This recipe was inspired by a GOOP newsletter. So shoot me; it's good! The original called for lemons sliced paper thin and eaten whole - I find that eating lemon rind gets old quickly, but the quarters give it just as much flavor. - MeghanVK

Serves 4-6

  • 1 whole chicken, about 4 pounds, cut into parts
  • 1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon flour
  • 1/4 cup grated pecorino
  • 3 teaspoons smoked paprika
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 3 medium lemons
  • 2 large yellow onions, sliced
  • 1 large fennel bulb, halved and sliced
  • 12 whole garlic cloves, peeled
  • 3/4 cups pitted green olives
  • 1 pinch ground cinnamon
  • 1 cup whole peeled tomatoes, crushed
  • 1 cup white wine
  • 1 bunch cilantro, roughly chopped
  1. Heat the oven to 425 degrees. Combine 1/2 cup of the flour, pecorino and 1 teaspoon of the smoked paprika in a large bowl. Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy pot (a big Dutch oven, perhaps?) over medium-high heat. Dry the chicken parts thoroughly with paper towels and sprinkle generously with salt and pepper on all sides. Dredge the chicken in the seasoned flour and then place in your pot in batches. Allow the chicken to thoroughly brown, about 5 minutes per side. Don't crowd the pan! Remove the chicken to a plate and repeat until all of your chicken pieces are golden and crispy-looking.
  2. Quarter the lemons, but zest one of them first; reserve the zest. (If your lemons have a thick pith, you'll want to zest all 3 and then juice them, discarding the pith; this will help you avoid a bitter sauce.) Add the onion, quartered lemons (or zest of 2 lemons and the juice of all 3), fennel, garlic, green olives, the remaining 2 teaspoons of smoked paprika, and cinnamon to the pot; cook until softened, golden, and overall mushy-looking, about 10 minutes. Taste for salt. Sprinkle the mixture with the remaining tablespoon of flour and stir over the heat for two minutes. Add the tomatoes and the wine and bring to a boil -- let bubble away for a minute or two. Add the lemon zest.
  3. Place the chicken pieces back into the pot, skin side up, along with any drippings from the plate. Poke the onion/fennel/garlic/olive mixture so it surrounds the chicken on all sides. Place in the oven, uncovered, and bake for 30 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through.
  4. Garnish with cilantro. Serve warm. Delicious!

Comments (78) Questions (4)

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3 months ago Laurelb

Made this last night. It was good but not great. I would use boneless chicken and add something to give it more punch. The first few bites were great but it lost its wow factor after that. Used olives with pimentos and would do that again.

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3 months ago Leslieswanson

This is the most delicious chicken dish. The flavor is amazing. You must try it. I used all thighs to save a little at the grocer and it turned out perfect.

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6 months ago Amandadp

I'm new to Food52 and this is the first recipe I've tried - I think it's fantastic! Sometimes I'm not a fan of cooked fennel but I really like it in this. Will definitely make this again!

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9 months ago redmaryt

Made this a few months ago, it is the best chicken I've ever made and probably the best I've ever tasted! My friend and I couldn't believe how delicious it was. I cut back on the lemon zest just a bit.

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11 months ago cookinbklyn

This was DEELICIOUS, but I'm calling my version " chicken that fancies itself spanish/provencal" . I wanted to minimize the sour flavor and didn't have a few items on hand. Here are my mods: 1. Zest and juice only of 2 medium Meyer lemons 2. Substituted chicken broth and vermouth in equal parts for the cup of white wine 3. Substituted celery instead of fennel. 4. Used thighs and legs only 5. Used Parmesan instead of Pecorino for coating 6. Chopped cilantro and parsley in equal parts 7. Used Picholine olives (with pits) 8. Added a bayleaf to the vegetables. Served this over rice pilaf and green peas on the side. If you don't have access to Meyer lemons, I might add a carrot or perhaps an orange to counteract the acidity of the tomatoes, lemons and white wine.

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11 months ago qtprof

Made this with preserved lemons--perfect!

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11 months ago susan206

I liked this, but didn't love it - too much acid. I wouldn't make it again. One thing I learned from a checken recipe from the wall street journal, is that I no longer brown the chicken. It is messy and takes too much time to clean up the stove afterwards. For this recipe I just stuck the chicken on top of the onions etc and it browned as it cooked. Way easier and the chicken itself was delicious.

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12 months ago Neal Erickson

I cooked this recipe last week with mixed results. I found the technique very good: great coating on the chicken (I used thighs) and finishing it over the vegetables uncovered in the oven produced a pleasant, creamy texture for the vegetables while the chicken skin and coating remained crisp.

However, I found the flavors wildly out of balance. Even though I used small lemons -- zested one and quartered all three -- the flavor was way too strong and overwhelmed the dish. (This became even more pronounced with reheating.) Also, I love smoked pimenton, but could not detect it much by the time the dish was done. Perhaps more could be added or added later in the cooking. One must also be careful to not add too much cinnamon -- a very small pinch will do. I also feel that the fennel really didn't add much and seemed to lose its pungency after cooking as well.

I would cook this again, but cut way back on the lemon. I might also try using potato slices with all those lovely onions instead of the fennel. I think they would have time to cook perfectly in the oven and provide a more balanced base for all the pungent flavors provided by the lemon, olives, wine and tomatoes.

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12 months ago The Expatresse

Disaster! Wary of bitterness, I zested and juiced two lemons and only added one, in wedges, to the stew. Bitter, bitter, bitter. This is what happens when you make something new for dinner guests. The chicken was quite nice . . . I served it with a herby, chili couscous. But the vegetables were barely edible. I'll try again, but without adding any sliced lemons. Who knew?

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12 months ago bella s.f.

Meyer lemons are marvelous in this recipe!

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12 months ago chefpatty

Would meyer lemons be good in this recipe?

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about 1 year ago culture_connoisseur

Delicious! I made this tonight and the house smelled amazing! I added mushrooms just because :)

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about 1 year ago MeghanVK

I totally approve of the mushrooms :)

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about 1 year ago leah_shelton_pucciarelli

Can you reccomend the type of olives preferred here? Thx!

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about 1 year ago MeghanVK

I just use standard green olives - but I think any kind of green olive would be fine (picholines, cerignolas). Kalamata olives might work but the flavor would definitely be different.

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about 1 year ago Judy at Two Broads Abroad

Just made this and I have to say it was extremely easy and all my guests loved it. Thanks so much.

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about 1 year ago ubs2007

WOW!!!!! Made this for a dinner party and everyone was in awe! Incredible combination of flavors! Thank you so much for sharing!!!!

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about 1 year ago MeghanVK

Aw yay! This many exclamation points makes me so happy :)

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about 1 year ago J e t

Made this last week, and it was absolutely spectacular. I made it pretty much as written, and served with rice. Delicious!

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about 1 year ago bella s.f.

WOW!!! We made this two days ago and it was absolutely delicious. I used castellano olives, those odd-colored, large green olives. They worked really well. I left the pits in. I liked the rustic feel that it gave to the dish. We had the leftovers last night. I found that with each bite I kept saying, "OMG, this is amazing! OMG, this is delicious!" I couldn't stop saying that. I could eat it again right now. I won't be able to wait too long to make this again. By the way, I served this over very velvety mashed Yukon Gold potatoes. It was a perfect fit! Creamy, rich, flavorful bliss. Meghan VK, thank you so much for creating this! By the way, it went beautifully with a bottle of Spanish Verdelho. It just seemed right to stay in the neighborhood.

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about 1 year ago MeghanVK

I'm so happy it worked for you! I like it with a rioja but I will have to look for a verdelho next time.

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about 1 year ago Bevi

I made this tonight and it was delicious. Instead of cutting up a whole chicken, I used organic skinless chicken breasts. Next time I will make sure to use a good Spanish olive or a Castelveltrano. Have you tried this dish with Seville oranges or a combination of lemons and Sevilles? i am curious about how that would taste. I love any dish that requires only one pot, and this was a perfect one pot wonder. Because my lemons had lots of pith, I only left in 3/4 of one lemon for the baking, and took them out for the second day of reheating. Thanks for giving me another option for chicken!

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about 1 year ago MeghanVK

I think just Seville oranges would be a bit too bitter... but a combination with lemons could be really interesting. I'll have to try it sometime. My friend used Meyer lemons and said it turned out great, so I want to try that, too. In any case, glad the recipe worked for you!

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over 1 year ago shoesthatilike

Made this for a dinner party on Friday night. HUGE hit. It was very easy to prep and only required one pot. I will make it again!

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over 1 year ago WileyP

This sounds just wonderful, MeghanVK, and hav added the appropriate ingredients to my shopping list for next week. Thanks so much!