Pollo con Champiñones with Turned Young Potatoes
Hello foodies!!
It’s been a while! But I am back. A few personal things, commitments, life doing its thing… but also some news that have honestly made my weekend such an amazing one. One step closer in my career and I could not be happier. It just shows, work hard and it really does pay off. Even if you complain a little bit on the way, just keep going.
Anyway, as you might or might not remember, I love to talk. I mean, being one of six puts you in a position where you have to mark your territory. Because let’s be honest, in a family that big, how else are you going to stand out if not by talking at people and over people at the same time. That is not being rude, that is survival.
So today’s recipe. You might be wondering what is it?
There is one country, apart from Poland and England, that I have visited more than any other in this world. And it is of course… Spain!!
Yes, Spain. Beautiful sun, beaches, architecture, the kind of place where you forget what day it is and suddenly you are eating at 11pm and calling it normal. And of course Spanish omelette, which I am completely obsessed with. But we all know what a huge amount of eggs does to you… let’s just say it creates atmosphere. Am I allowed to say that here? Probably not. Did I say it anyway? Yes. We move.
So after this very necessary and absolutely not too long introduction, let’s talk about what I actually cooked.
A beautiful, aromatic, smoky, mushroomy and slightly zesty Spanish chicken.
Proper name
Pollo con Champiñones
Of course I changed it a bit, because I always do. I made it mine. I reduced the sauce because I like it thick, rich, something that actually sticks to the chicken instead of running away from it. I added fresh parsley because suddenly I am pretending to be professional. And as always, Plates for Two my dears.
But that was not enough.
Because if you are making a sauce like that, you need something to carry it properly. Something that will not disappoint you halfway through. So I made turned young potatoes, cooked slowly in chicken stock, butter, garlic and rosemary. Soft, full of flavour, slightly glossy and honestly… very dangerous because you will keep picking one more.
And since we are on the topic, Plates for Two… still catchy. Still love it. One day I will bring my bakery side into this. Cakes, breads, desserts. Does it still count? Listen… I could eat a whole cake myself, so yes, it absolutely does.
And if it doesn’t… I do not care.
I want it. You want it. We are getting it.
Yes, Ariana Grande was referenced. You are welcome.
Right. Enough talking. Let’s cook.
Pollo con Champiñones
Ingredients
Protein
Chicken thighs bone in skin on 2 pieces around 500 to 600g
Vegetables
Mushrooms 250g sliced
Onion 80g sliced
Garlic 2 cloves
Flavour base
Olive oil 15g
Smoked paprika 2g
Fresh thyme small handful or dried pinch
Salt
Black pepper
Liquids
Chicken stock 320ml
Lemon juice or white vinegar 1 teaspoon
Thickening
Cornflour 1 teaspoon
Cold water 1 tablespoon
Finish
Butter small knob
Fresh parsley
Method
Chicken
Season chicken well with salt and pepper
Heat oil in a pan on medium high heat for about 1 minute
Place chicken skin side down and leave it alone for 4 to 5 minutes
Do not touch it… I know you want to, but don’t
Turn and cook another 4 to 5 minutes until golden
Remove and set aside before you eat it “just to check”
Mushrooms
Add mushrooms to the same pan
Cook for 6 to 8 minutes
They will release water and look a bit depressing at first
Keep going, trust them, they will come back to life
Let liquid fully evaporate and then allow slight browning
Base flavour
Add onion and cook for 4 to 5 minutes until soft
Add garlic and paprika and cook for 1 minute
At this point it should smell like you actually know what you are doing
Build sauce
Pour in chicken stock
Add lemon juice or vinegar
Add thyme and stir everything together
Give it a little taste but do not drink it like soup yet
Simmer
Return chicken to the pan
Cook for 15 to 20 minutes on medium heat
Keep slightly uncovered so the sauce reduces
If it starts looking too watery, do not panic, just give it time
Thicken
Mix cornflour with cold water until smooth
Pour into the pan and stir
Cook for 2 to 3 minutes until sauce thickens
Now it should actually cling to the chicken like it means it
Finish
Add butter and gently stir
Watch it turn glossy and rich
Finish with parsley and pretend you are on a cooking show
Turned Young Potatoes in Stock Butter Garlic and Rosemary
Ingredients
Young potatoes 350g
Chicken stock 200ml
Water 100ml
Butter 15g
Garlic 2 cloves lightly crushed
Rosemary 1 sprig
Salt
Method
Start
Place potatoes in a pan
Add stock and water until just covered
Take a moment… this already smells promising
Flavour
Add garlic and rosemary
Season lightly with salt
Try not to eat the garlic later thinking it is a potato
Cook
Bring to a gentle simmer
Cook for 12 to 15 minutes until tender
Check with a knife, not your fingers, unless you enjoy pain
Reduce
Increase heat slightly and let liquid reduce
This takes about 5 minutes
Most of the liquid should disappear and flavour stays behind
Finish
Add butter and gently move potatoes around
Cook for 2 to 3 minutes until glossy and slightly golden
This is where they become dangerous, one turns into five very quickly
The Ending
Now this is the part where you plate it up, sit down, and suddenly nobody is talking anymore. Which in my family is how you know the food is actually good… or maybe because everyone is hungry and slightly afraid they will have to share their food. Either way, silence means success.
So… did you like it? Did you love it? I do not know yet, but I want to know. Tell me everything.
Did you even make it? I really hope you did, because my dear friend… this one is worth it.
And if halfway through cooking you thought “this is too much effort”… but still finished it… welcome, you are one of us now.
Go on, plate it nicely, pretend you are hosting a dinner, even if it is just you standing in the kitchen eating straight from the pan.
No judgement here.
Always Plates for Two… even if one plate never makes it to the table
Plates for Two — real food, real stories, real cooking
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