Andalusian Chicken With Green Olives And Bitter Oranges

Total Time: 1 hr 10 mins Preparation Time: 15 mins Cook Time: 55 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 4
• 4 chicken legs, separated into drumsticks and thighs, rinsed, patted try, and trimmed of excess fat (about 2 1/2 pounds total)
• kosher salt & freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 large onion, quartered and thinly sliced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/4 cup dry sherry
• 1/2 cup strained fresh bitter orange juice (see note)
• 1/4 cup strained fresh regular orange juice
• 1 tablespoon orange zest
• 2 ripe plum tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and chopped
• 3/4 cup pitted green olives (such as picholine or nafplion)
• 3 tablespoons fresh flat-leaf parsley, minced
• 2 tart oranges
• 2 tablespoons fresh mint, slivered

Recipe

• 1 rub chicken with salt & pepper and let stand for 10 minutes.
• 2 place 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a heavy shallow flameproof casserole or saute pan than can hold the chicken in a single layer and heat over medium-high heat. working in two batches, brown the chicken all over, about 5 minutes per side. transfer the browned chicken to a bowl.
• 3 add the remaining 1 tablespoon of the olive oil to the pan and reduce the heat to medium-low. add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until it is limp but not browned, 5-7 minutes. add the garlic and cumin and stir for 30 seconds. add the sherry, increase the heat to high, and cook until the sherry is slightly reduced, about 1 minute. add the bitter and regular orange juices and bring to a simmer. return the chicken to the pan, cover it, reduce the heat to low, and simmer for 15 minutes.
• 4 add the orange zest, tomatoes, olives, and parsley. continue to cook the chicken over low heat, covered, turning it once or twice, until very tender, about 25 minutes.
• 5 meanwhile, peel the oranges with a small sharp knife, removing all the pith. working over a sieve set over a bowl, cut in between the membranes to release the orange sections. carefully stir the orange sections into the stew and cook until heated through, about 5 minutes.
• 6 transfer the chicken to a serving bowl, spoon the pan juices and olives over it, sprinkle the mint on top and serve.