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Spanish Chicken



I grandly call this Spanish Chicken but to be honest it came about because I bought a really nice Chorizo at a Continental Market.  I started with that and then just kept adding and refining it until I found the recipe I liked.  Even now it changes depending upon what I do and don't have in at the time when I decide to make it. 

It is a good one to make for a supper if friends are coming round - it is healthy-ish, goes a long way, tasty and you can make it earlier and just heat it up in about 10 mins when you want it - just about the time it takes part-baked baguettes or rolls to cook.

Best thing to do is to try it and then adjust to your taste and likes.
Ingredients:
Smoked Lardons
½ a good quality Chorizo
4 Chicken Breasts
2 tins of Tomatoes
Tablespoon Olive oil
1 Red Onion
2 sticks Celery
2 or 3 cloves of Garlic
½ each red & yellow Pepper
handful black Olives
handful Pine Nuts
good squirt Tomato Puree
Pinch Marjoram
good dusting Paprika
Salt
 ground Black Pepper
 
Use a large, deep-walled Frying Pan for this as it seems to work best.   Place on the heat with olive oil in, add the lardons.  Cut the Chorizo into chunks and add that to the pan.  Slice the chicken into fillet shapes or strips and keep until the lardons are cooked and the Chorizo is beginning to release oil.  Add the chicken fillets and keep turning to gently seal them on all sides.

Slice the red onion downwards into segments about 1cm wide, same with the peppers.  Celery into smallish chunks and the olives into halves, if you wish.  Peel and finely chop the garlic and add to the pan, along with the onion, celery and peppers.  keep turning over the ingredients so that everything is evenly distributed and coated with the juices.

Empty in the two tins of tomatoes and the squirt of tomato puree and incorporate - chuck in the olives, pine nuts, paprika, marjoram and season to taste with salt & black pepper.  If you need to add more liquid - add a cupful of water - the liquid should be ½ - ¾ way up the ingredients.   Cover the pan with a lid and turn down to simmer.  After about 30 mins uncover and stir round, making sure everything is coated with juices.  Leave the pan over a simmer heat (or lower if you can) until a lot of liquid has been driven off and the sauce is getting thick - I do it until the juice is more of a coating than a stew-like consistency.

Serve with hot crusty bread, a robust red wine and good company!