Catalan Style Chicken Or Turkey Recipes

CATALAN CHICKEN

Steps:

• Heat 4 TBS olive oil in a heavy pan over medium heat, then fry the chicken for about 10 minutes or until golden on all sides; remove and set aside.
• Add the onions, garlic and pepper to the pan and saute until the onion is golden.
• Add the tomatoes, sherry and saffron with water and bring to a simmer.
• Cook 10-15 minutes to evaporate excess liquid (you want to arrive at a fairly thick sauce at this stage).
• Return chicken to pan along with bay leaf, cinnamon stick, salt and pepper.
• Bring to a simmer, cover loosely and cook for about 30 minutes until the chicken is tender and completely cooked and the sauce thickened.
• To finish, heat 1 TBS oil over medium-high heat in a small skillet and fry the breadcrumbs and almonds till golden (stirring all the while); remove from heat and stir in the paprika, mixing well.
• Serve each breast with sauce and with almond mixture sprinkled over the top of all.

CATALAN-STYLE CHICKEN (OR TURKEY)

Steps:

• Combine raisins, prunes and sherry in a bowl. Cover and leave at room temperature for 12 hours.
• Heat 2 1/2 tbsp olive oil in a wide skillet. Season the meat with salt and pepper. Brown the chicken (or turkey) on all sides until golden brown, about 10 minutes. Remove the meat to a plate and set aside.
• Add the onions and cook, stirring often, until soft and brown, about 15 minutes. Drain the sherry from the fruit; add the sherry to the pan and reserve the fruit for later.
• When the sherry has nearly evaporated, return the chicken to the pan and add the tomatoes and the water. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, cover and cook 30 minutes.
• Add the reserved fruit, and simmer another hour until the meat is very tender and the sauce is thickened. (Cover if the sauce gets too thick.).
• Heat the remaining 1/2 tbsp of olive oil in a small skillet. When it shimmers, add the pine nuts and cook, stirring very frequently, until brown, less than 5 minutes. Immediately remove from the pan.
• Transfer the meat to a serving dish. Top with the onions, tomatoes and fruit, and sprinkle with pine nuts to serve.