5 Ingredients or Fewer

Chicken Ajíllo, El Charro

by:
February 11, 2014
4
4 Ratings
  • Makes 6 1st course servings (serves 2-3 as a main course)
Author Notes

This dish is SO delicious ­ and it’s easy enough to make for an everyday dinner. It’s one of the house specials at my favorite New York restaurant, “El Charro.” My friend Manuel Vidal, the owner of El Charro, not only gave me this recipe, I used to make it with him on Saturdays at the restaurant. You can create it, too! —ChefJune

What You'll Need
Ingredients
  • 1 3 to 3 ½ pound chicken, cut into 16 pieces (you’ll need a cleaver to get through the heavier bones)
  • 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 2 heads garlic (Use all the cloves, peeled but whole)
  • 1 cup dry white wine (Albarino is a good choice)
  • Coarse sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Directions
  1. Rinse the chicken in cold running water and thoroughly dry it with paper towels. Using a meat cleaver or poultry shears, cut the chicken into 16 pieces.
  2. Make a mixture of sea salt and freshly ground black pepper in a small bowl. Sprinkle this mixture generously over the chicken pieces.
  3. Warm a large sauté pan over medium-high heat and put in the olive oil. When the oil is hot but not smoking, add the chicken pieces and brown well on all sides. (You want to make sure the oil is hot enough that the chicken pieces will make a sizzling sound as you put them into the pan. This ensures that the chicken will sear immediately and the juices will stay inside!)
  4. After you have turned over all the chicken to brown on the other side, add the garlic and turn the temperature down low to let it sauté for a few minutes. Make sure the garlic does not get brown at all.
  5. Add the wine. Bring the mixture to the boil. Reduce the heat—to medium, not too low—and let simmer until the wine has almost evaporated, and has made a caramel-like sauce in the pan.
  6. Serve with Saffron Rice or Home-Made Potato Chips.
  7. If you like, you can make this recipe with 8 chicken thighs. You'll need to chop them in half to accommodate the shorter cooking time.
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  • LeBec Fin
    LeBec Fin
  • ChefJune
    ChefJune
ChefJune
30+ years a chef, educator, writer, consultant, "winie," travel guide/coordinator

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3 Reviews

LeBec F.
LeBec F. March 20, 2015
Oooh oooh, yumOla!!
p.s. june, a cleaver will chop through a thigh? ( oh gosh, i'm never clever enough to pun intentionally. I am serious in my question!)
 
ChefJune
ChefJune March 20, 2015
Actually Mindy, I usually set the cleaver where I want tocut the bone and then hit the cleaver with a hammer. When I try to assault with the cleaver I too often miss my mark.
 
LeBec F.
LeBec F. March 20, 2015
june, what a brilliant technique. Now I can do it, and I will! thx so much.
(did you groan at my unintentional pun, above?)