ROAST CHICKEN SPANISH STYLE, Easy peasy prepared ahead

Bring a little sunshine into your kitchen with this fantastically easy Spanish-style meal

updated 11/25; first posted 2017

A boon for the busy cook: Make Ahead Spanish Style Chicken
 takes the edge off Arctic temperatures

A relaxed roast chicken meal is a great weekend treat but on busy weekday evenings, a touch impractical.

Here's an idea for a fuss-free, make-ahead fabulous roast chicken meal for work nights involving a colourful Spanish-style sauce.

The next time you're roasting chicken, roast two.  Joint one bird,lie flat in sealable storage bags and freeze.  Or buy a plump supermarket chicken and use immediately OR joint and freeze.  

Up to two days vbut preferably the day before  planning to serve, make the sauce. Cool and refrigerate; don't freeze, if affects the flavour.  

Defrost the chicken the day before the planned meal, shred and remove bones  

Heat the the sauce over med high and gently reheat the chicken in it.  

Result?  Chicken that's interesting, quick and very tasty.  What's not to like?

Cost:

Feeds: 

Ingred:

   1 cold roast chicken, skin removed and jointed   

   3 tbsp olive oil
   1 mug sliced yellow onion or equivalent well cleaned fennel.
   3 cloves garlic, grated (opt)
   
   1/2 bell pepper diced (67 used yellow 'cause that was what was in the fridge; green or red will be fine) 
   10 mushrooms, diced  
     
     5 ripe tomatoes coarsely chopped or 1x 28oz tin tomatoes
     1 stick celery, peeled, crvices wiped and cut in small dice
     zest of one orange
     juice of 1/2 orange  
     
     2-3 tbsp med sherry     
    1- 1 1/2 tsp salt
     1 scant tsp honey, brown sugar or maple syrup
     1/2 scant tsp cinnamon      

Garnish: fresh parsley
             few olives (opt)

Method:

Sauce:

1. Heat olive oil in large deep pan over high heat
2. Add onions/fennel & garlic if using; reduce heat to med; cook 2-3 mins until onions are translucent
3. Add bell pepper & mushrooms; cook 1-2 mins 
4. Add tomatoes, celery, & salt and cook until tomatoes are broken down and mix is soup-like
5. Stir in  sherry, zest, honey and cinnamon
6. Simmer further 5-10 mins 
7. Roughly blend 1/3 of the mix; pour back into pan
8. If eating immediately, add chicken; heat over med until chicken is warmed through

If prepping ahead:

1. Cool sauce and refrigerate until day of serving
2. Take chicken (defrosted if necessary) and sauce out of the fridge an hour ahead of serving time
3. Reheat sauce over med heat in a pan large enough to take chicken pieces in one layer until sauce is gently bubbling
4. Add chicken pieces, pushing below the surface of the sauce
5. Simmer over med-low heat until chicken is heated though - about 15 mins
6. Serve sprinkled with plenty of fresh chopped parsley 

Comments:

'Chicken was moist; sauce whilst yummy was not what I was expecting. Could taste a citrus undertone and the peppers took over.  Delicious but not one of my favourites.' Wonder Woman office administrator (Blogger's note: amount of peppers has been adjusted)

Tips:

1. To speed up cooking time, strip flesh from bones of chicken in large pieces and add to reheated sauce
2. A little help from trusted supermarket friends: this recipe would work well with a rotisserie chicken 

This recipe has been developed by B M Lee/ Bright Sun Enterprises.  It may not be reproduced without the author's written permission.