Crispy Chicken with Romesco Sauce

This recipe is a classic food pairing, combining two classically prepared dishes into one harmonious and delicious meal. We’re talking about a beautiful plate of Crispy Chicken with Romesco Sauce. A hearty plate of tasty food that is guaranteed to please even the fussiest of eaters in the household. The pairing of Chicken with Romesco Sauce is a very classic and traditional combination, with the vibrant flavors of a Romesco pairing perfectly with the comforting flavors of pan-fried Crispy Chicken

How to make Crispy Chicken with Romesco Sauce

The great news about this dish is it is so easy to make. It’s the perfect meal for a mid-week dinner for the family. The Chicken is simply pan-fried and will take about 20 minutes or so, including resting time. It may take a little longer if you’ve got a particularly large piece of Chicken, and in that case we’d recommend finishing it off in the oven for an even roast

You want to ensure that the skin on the Chicken is super-crispy. For our recipe we’re using Chicken Thighs with the skin on. You can absolutely replicate this recipe by using Chicken Breast if you prefer. We’ve opted for the Thighs because they have more flavor and are more forgiving when being cooked. Basically, if you overcook them a little bit they’re still going to be tender. The same can’t always be said for Chicken Breasts

Cooking the Chicken perfectly

Ensure y our Chicken is at room temperature before cooking, that way you’ll get a more even cook throughout. Get your frying pan nice and hot with a little bit of Oil and then carefully place the seasoned Chicken skin-side down straight onto the pan. Ensure all parts of that Chicken skin have made contact with the hot pan and let it do its thing

After about 6 – 7 minutes the skin should go lovely and golden-brown. At this point you can flip it over and finish it off on the other side. Use a thermometer to check the internal temperature of the Chicken. Once it hits around 155F, remove it and allow it to rest

Resting the Chicken will allow the juices and fibers in the Chicken to settle. This will result in a much more tender result. Resting also will continue to cook the Chicken on the inside. So, what you’ll find is a 10 minute rest time will increase the internal temperature of the Chicken by an additional 10F or so

Making a great Romesco sauce is simple to do, and it’s a great dish to have in your cooking arsenal

Making a simple Romesco Sauce

I like to prepare the Romesco Sauce in advance. You can even batch cook a larger quantity and freeze it for multiple meals. That way all you need to do when it comes to dinnertime is re-heat it, making for no-fuss midweek cooking

A Romesco Sauce is a Tomato-based sauce that is further flavored with the addition of Roasted Red Bell Peppers and Almonds. It’s a wonderfully bright and flavorful sauce, and pairs perfectly with Chicken. It’s also a very simple sauce to make at home

Simply pan fry some diced Onions in some Oil then add your Tomatoes. Cook them down for about 10 minutes in total to concentrate the flavor a little bit. Roast a Red Pepper in the oven for about 45 minutes until it has charred. Once cooled, peel and discard the skin, core, and seeds from the Pepper

You then add the ingredients into a blender or food processor along with some Almonds. Give it a good blitz for about 1 minute until smooth and it’s done! Add a bit of Salt for seasoning and you’ve got a versatile, simple, and absolutely delicious sauce to enjoy

Finish the Crispy Chicken with Romesco Sauce off with some fresh Herbs

I always love adding some fresh herbs to a dish. Not only does it look beautiful on the plate, but it adds a wonderful brightness to the dish. There are loads of options that you can consider when choosing herbs to top a Chicken dish. Rosemary and Thyme are classic choices, and Sage or Parsley are also great

For this recipe however we’ve opted for Tarragon. The pairing of the slightly anise flavors of Tarragon make for a wonderful addition to the dish. Tarragon is a very traditional herb to pair with Chicken, and it goes great with the Romesco Sauce too

Adding herbs is an optional step, but if you have some additional herbs in the house, then it’s worth roughly chopping up a bunch and adding it to the dish. You can even use dried herbs such as Oregano if you like. As always, we recommend sprinkling over some Finishing Salt right before serving

You can serve this dish alongside a side of Vegetables but let’s be honest, it goes pretty well with Mac and Cheese!

While you can enjoy the Crispy Chicken with Romesco Sauce as a complete meal, I like to pair it with an additional side dish. Adding a side rounds out the whole plate of food, and for those hungry eaters in the household it will ensure enough food for a hearty dinner

For a beautifully balanced meal you can find an amazing Vegetable Side Dish here. Some nice options are roast vegetables like Potatoes or Carrots, or some refreshing Spinach or Asparagus for some nice greens on the plate. However, for the indulgent ones amongst us, you just can’t go past Mac and Cheese!

There’s rarely a dish we’ve encountered where a side of Mac and Cheese doesn’t fit the bill, and this Chicken and Romesco plate is no exception. We cooked our famous Mac and Cheese recipe alongside the meal, and it was such a treat. The creaminess of the Mac and Cheese paired perfectly with the Crispy Chicken and complimented the Peppery flavors in the Romesco. It’s well worth a try!

Crispy Chicken with Romesco Sauce Recipe

Ingredients

• 4 Chicken Thighs, skin on
• ¼ cup Tarragon, roughly chopped
• 1 tsp. Salt
• 1 tsp. Pepper
• 1 tsp. Vegetable Oil
  
  

Romesco Sauce Ingredients

• 1 Red Bell Pepper
• 14 oz. Can of Tomatoes
• ½ Yellow Onion, diced
• ½ cup Roasted Almonds
• 2 tbsp. Olive Oil
• 1 tsp. Salt
  
  

Equipment Needed: Blender or Food Processor

Instructions

1. Place the Bell Pepper on a sheet pan and drizzle with 1 tbsp. Olive Oil and ½ tsp. of Salt then roast in the oven at 400F for 40 minutes until charred
2. Remove from oven and cool then peel and discard the skin, core, and seeds. Place flesh in the Blender
3. Heat the remaining Olive Oil in a Saucepan over medium heat. Once hot, add Onions and cook for 5 minutes then add the Tomatoes. Cook for a further 10 minutes. Remove from heat, allow to cool then add to Blender
4. Add the Almonds to the Blender then blitz on high for 1 minute until smooth. Season with ½ tsp. of Salt and set aside. Heat Romesco Sauce when ready to serve
   
   

Cooking the Chicken

5. Allow the Chicken to come up to room temperature then season well with Salt and Pepper
6. Heat the Vegetable Oil in a large frying pan over medium high heat. Once hot, place the Chicken on the pan skin-side down
7. Cook for 6 – 7 minutes on the skin side until the fat has rendered and the skin has turned golden-brown and crispy. Flip over and cook on the other side until the internal temperature of the Chicken is 160F
8. Remove from heat rest the Chicken for 10 minutes. Add a few spoonful’s of Romesco on a plate then top with the Chicken. Finish with Tarragon and finishing Salt
   
   

Recipe Notes

• If your Chicken Thighs are particularly large you may want to finish them in the oven. Sear the skin until crispy, then flip over and roast in the oven at 375F until cooked through completely
• Avoid using roasted Almonds that are heavily salted, as this will make controlling the seasoning difficult in your sauce
  
  

This classic food pairing of Crispy Chicken with Romesco Sauce makes for a delicious and easy to prepare meal for the family. Perfect for a midweek meal any time of the year

If you enjoyed this recipe then good news! We’ve got loads and loads of tasty recipes here at Dinnertime Somewhere for you to check out. Why not give a few of these wonderful meals a try:

• Chicken Teriyaki on Rice
• Greek Chicken Gyros with Fries
• Pan Fried Chicken Schnitzel
• Red Snapper with Butter Tartare Sauce
  
  

Happy Cooking!