Pollo al ajillo is Spain’s beloved garlic chicken: pieces of chicken browned until golden, then simmered with toasted garlic, bay leaf, lemon and a splash of sherry until the sauce turns silky and irresistible. It is tapas-bar comfort food you can absolutely make at home.
The dish lives and dies by its garlic — first fried whole in the skin to perfume the oil, then sliced raw into the simmer for a second, sharper layer of flavor. Do not be shy with it; the name is a promise.
It is flexible too: use drumsticks, thighs, wings or a cut-up whole bird, and in Spain you will even find it made with rabbit. Serve it with crusty bread, rice or fried potatoes to mop up every drop of sauce.
Pollo al Ajillo Recipe
Prep time: 15 minutes · Cook time: 40 minutes · Total: 55 minutes · Servings: 4
Ingredients
- 1 whole chicken (3½ to 4 pounds), cut into pieces
- 5 garlic cloves, plus more to taste
- Extra-virgin olive oil
- All-purpose flour, for dusting
- Juice of ½ lemon
- 2 cups chicken broth
- ⅔ cup dry sherry
- 1 bay leaf
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in a large pan and fry the garlic cloves, skin on, until lightly toasted. Remove and set aside.
- Season the chicken with salt and pepper, dust lightly with flour, and fry over high heat until well browned.
- Pour off some of the oil, then add the lemon juice and toss to coat the chicken.
- Add the chicken broth, the reserved garlic plus a few raw cloves thinly sliced, and the bay leaf. Boil until the broth has almost completely reduced and the chicken is tender.
- Add the sherry and let it bubble one final time before serving.
Recipe Notes
- Crusty bread is almost mandatory for the sauce; rice, roasted vegetables or a simple salad round out the plate.
- Mushrooms, onions or bell peppers can join the pan for extra depth.
- Paprika, cumin or thyme are easy ways to make the dish your own.
- Red wine can replace the sherry for a deeper, richer sauce.
