Chicken Sofrito adapted from Yotam Ottolenghi
Just in time for Passover, or for spring, or for whatever suits your fancy, here’s a truly delicious, colorful, and easy chicken dish. You can easily scale this for a larger group by doubling.
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon paprika
½ teaspoon turmeric
½ teaspoon sugar
¼ teaspoon pepper
10 cloves of garlic, peeled and halved
the juice of one small or ½ a large lemon
3 cups diced white or yellow potatoes (not russets), cut into a 1” dice
Olive oil
Utensils needed: a shallow, heavy bottomed pan; a frying pan; a paring knife; a chef’s knife; a cutting board.
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Heat the heavy pan. Add 2 tablespoons of oil and swirl to coat the bottom of the pan. Mix the salt, pepper, paprika, turmeric, and sugar in a small bowl. Pat the spice mixture onto the chicken and place the chicken, skin side down, in the pan. When it is thoroughly browned, flip it and place in the oven.
Heat the frying pan to medium high and add 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil. Add the potatoes and leave until they are browned on the first side. Toss to turn and brown another side or two. Take the chicken out of the oven, briefly put the pieces onto a plate, and put the potatoes and garlic into the pan. Place the chicken pieces atop the potato mixture and drizzle the lemon juice onto the chicken. Put the whole shebang back into the oven until cooked to your desired temperature.
