Spanish Chicken Stew with Olives and Peppers Recipe
This stew is reminiscent of home-style dishes from Spain’s Mediterranean regions, where chicken often ends up in one pot with olives, peppers, and wine. It’s a great dish for a weekend family lunch, because it practically cooks itself while the whole house fills with the aroma of spices. The flavors are similar to French coq au vin, but thanks to the olives and peppers it feels sunnier and more Mediterranean.
A one-pot Mediterranean-style chicken dish where olives, peppers, and wine create a rich, aromatic sauce that tastes like a slow-cooked weekend meal but requires very little active work.
Chef's tips
Brown the chicken well at the beginning; the caramelized bits on the bottom of the pan will give the sauce much more depth. If you’re using wine, choose something dry and not too oaky—what you’d happily drink from a glass.
How to serve
Serve in warm deep plates with plenty of sauce, alongside rice, mashed potatoes, or rustic bread. Add a simple green salad with a lemony vinaigrette to balance the richness.
Ingredients
- chicken thighs on the bone, skinless or with skin as you prefer - 800 g
- red bell pepper cut into strips - 1 piece
- yellow bell pepper cut into strips - 1 piece
- onion sliced into thin wedges - 1 piece
- garlic finely chopped - 3 cloves
- chopped canned tomatoes - 400 g
- green olives pitted, whole or halved - 80 g
- dry white wine optional, can be replaced with stock - 120 ml
- chicken stock or vegetable stock - 200 ml
- sweet smoked paprika - 1 teaspoon
- bay leaf - 2 pieces
- olive oil - 2 tablespoons
- salt to taste
- black pepper to taste
- parsley chopped, for sprinkling - 2 tablespoons
Preparation
- Pat the chicken thighs dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper on both sides.
- Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan or wide pot over medium-high heat. Place the chicken skin-side down (if using skin-on) and fry for 5–7 minutes until browned, then flip and cook for another 4–5 minutes. Transfer the meat to a plate.
- In the same pan, reduce the heat to medium, add the onion and fry for 5 minutes, stirring, until it softens and becomes slightly translucent.
- Add the sliced peppers and fry for 5–7 minutes, until they soften and start to brown slightly at the edges.
- Add the garlic and smoked paprika and fry for 1 minute, stirring constantly so the spices don’t burn.
- Pour in the white wine, bring to a boil and cook for 2–3 minutes, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon.
- Add the canned tomatoes, stock, and bay leaves and stir. Return the chicken thighs to the pan so they are partially submerged in the sauce.
- Bring everything to a boil, then reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 25–30 minutes, until the chicken is tender and comes away easily from the bone.
- For the last 5 minutes of cooking, add the olives and gently stir.
- Taste the sauce and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper, then remove the bay leaves. Sprinkle with chopped parsley and serve hot.
Storage
Przechowuj w sosie, dzięki temu mięso nie wyschnie. Przy podgrzewaniu rób to na małym ogniu pod przykryciem, w razie potrzeby dolej odrobinę wody lub bulionu. Danie dobrze znosi mrożenie, ale oliwki mogą być po rozmrożeniu nieco bardziej miękkie.
