This braised chicken dish from Madeira is traditionally cooked in a tall lidded pot (pucara or jug) but a Dutch oven or even a deep oven-proof dish covered tightly with foil will do the trick. You can use ham if you don’t have presunto.
Ingredients
- Chicken 1 whole, cut into 8 serving pieces
- Salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper to taste
- Presunto or Ham 150 g, cubed
- Diced Tomatoes 1 x 400 g can
- Shallots 10, peeled and halved if large
- Garlic 4 cloves, chopped
- Bay Leaves 4
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil 2 Tbs
- Verdelho Madeira 100 ml
- Brandy 100 ml
- White Wine 150 ml
- Dijon Mustard 2 Tbs
- Paprika 2 tsp
Cook It
- Season the chicken pieces with salt and pepper.
- Place the tomatoes in the bottom of a Dutch oven and lay the chicken pieces and shallots on top. Sprinkle with the chopped garlic and tuck in the bay leaves.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, port, brandy, white wine, mustard and paprika. Pour the mixture over the chicken.
- Cover and cook in a 375˚F oven for 50-60 minutes until the chicken is cooked through. Uncover the pot and cook for 15-20 minutes more, until the top layer of the dish is browned and crisp.
- Bring to the table in the cooking vessel and serve with rice, potatoes or crusty bread to mop up the tasty juices.
