Chicken chilindrón: the recipe that never fails 

Chicken chilindrón is a dish which originated in Aragon and which is as delicious as it is suitable for all tastes and wallets. Its great popularity is essentially due to its sauce (made with onion, garlic, tomatoes, peppers and serrano ham), which is as easy to make as it is tasty. For this reason, it is normal for chicken chilindrón and the recipe to be a common feature of Spanish family recipe books. 

It is thought to be one of the oldest dishes of our gastronomy. Its name comes from a game of cards called “chilindrón”. The winner of the game would decide who paid for the food and, although today the recipe has little to do with this entertaining tradition, there is little doubt that the dish is still being enjoyed around the dinner table. Sometimes, however, the chicken is replaced with other meats, such as lamb or rabbit.  

First of all, to make chicken chilindrón you will need the following ingredients. Take note:

- 800 g diced chicken

- 10 g serrano ham

- 1 red pepper

- 1 green pepper

- 2 tomatoes

- 1 onion

- 2 garlic cloves

- 20 g sweet paprika

- 1 bay leaf

- White wine

Chicken chilindrón Arguiñano-style is inspired by a recipe consisting of the following steps:

1. First of all, chop the ingredients. To do this, chop the onion, red and green peppers and tomatoes into small cubes. Then cut the ham as well. 

2. Put a saucepan on a low heat, add olive oil and the whole garlic cloves. Let them heat up so they release their flavour. Then remove them. 

3. Then add the diced chicken and turn the heat up to full. Cook on all sides to brown the meat. When browned, put it into a dish on some kitchen paper to remove any excess oil. 

4. Add a little more oil to the saucepan and add the chopped onion, peppers and tomatoes. Stir and then add the serrano ham, paprika, bay leaf and lastly, the browned chicken. Mix everything together.  

5. After this, add the white wine, a little water and cover the pan. Leave on a medium heat for 10 minutes. Remove the lid and add a little salt. If you wish, this is the perfect time to add some aromas with some sprigs of thyme and rosemary.  

6. Then place the saucepan in the oven, previously heated to 220 degrees. Brown the chicken in the oven for around 5 minutes.  

7. Lastly, the step that everyone loves: Serve the delicious chicken chilindrón!

Thermomix recipe for chicken chilindrón 

Making the chicken chilindrón in a Thermomix is another option available for enjoying this dish. For this, follow the steps below:

1. Peel the garlic cloves, which you will later add to the Thermomix jug with some oil. Chop for 5 seconds at speed 5, then scoop the remainder from the sides with the spatula. Fry them in the varoma on speed 1. 

2. Then place the onion and peppers into the jug. Chop for 4 seconds at speed 5. Then, to lightly fry them, programme the Thermomix for 10 minutes with the varoma at speed 1. 

3. Place the butterfly stirrer in the blades and add the remaining ingredients: the chicken, white wine, tomatoes, and salt and pepper to taste. Programme the varoma for 20 minutes turning to the left and at spoon speed. 

4. All that’s left to do is to serve it or leave it to rest (if you want to store it in the fridge).

By the way, chicken chilindrón can be accompanied by salad, fried potatoes, home-made mashed potatoes, or white rice and, of course, some good bread.