Roasted Chicken en Cocotte

A classic Catalan dish that my mum used to cook back in my Barcelona home town. The cinnamon and some chocolate chips elevate the flavours making it perfect for your Sunday's lunch or for special occasions.

Cooking the dish in an enamelled cast iron cocotte makes it even more special, as distributes the heat evenly around the cocotte and it's ideal for a slow roast like this. I also love to present it in the same cocotte on the table.

This recipe is not about using precise ingredients or quantities, you can play around with the amount of chicken or chicken pieces as much as you use a good quality free-range chicken or even another type of bird-like poussin or turkey or rabbit, yet always cut into eight pieces. 

Another key element in this recipe is the sofrito base, the cinnamon and chocolate flavour.

What you will need:

✅ 1 cast iron cocotte of about 26-28cm (I used a @staubcocotte)

✅ 1 chef knife and a chopping board

Ingredients:

✔8 Free range chicken thighs  and with skin on

✔1 whole head of garlic

✔2 medium onions

✔2 tbsp tomato pure

✔100ml Brandy

✔200ml chicken stock

✔1-2 cinnamon sticks

✔2 tbsp toasted pinenuts

✔2 tbsp dark chocolate chips or chocolate

✔Bay leaves, salt and black pepper and olive oil

Method:

To start we have to season well the chicken thighs with salt and pepper. Stir fry the chicken into the cocotte with olive oil. Once golden brown, remove and reserve.

Dice the onions and fry until golden and tender. 

Then add the tomato pure and continue to cook until caramelized. 

Cut in half the whole head of garlic, then add the chicken pieces again to the cocotte and the 2 halves of garlic with the sliced side down. Add the bay leaves, the cinnamon sticks halved and the Brandy and let it cook for 2-3 minutes until the alcohol has burnt and then add the stock. Let it cook for 20 minutes approximately with the lid on, so the flavours concentrate into the dish.

In a small pan saute the pinenuts just to turn them a bit brown. Then add them into the casserole with the chocolate chips and cook for 8-10 more minutes, always at medium temperature.

Tips:

👉Once it's done it is better to leave it to rest for at least 6-8 hours, this will enhance the flavours and will set the whole dish. 

👉That is why is perfect for special days as you can prepare the dish the day before so you don't get stressed on the day!

You can watch my quick video reel recipe here:

https://www.instagram.com/reel/CUftoWoIT7H/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link