Pollo al Chilindrón is a Basque-style chicken and peppers recipe. It’s bone-in chicken braised in smoked paprika-spiked tomato sauce for a rustic, homey, one-pan dish that’s delicious, budget-friendly, and easy.
I’ve been making this braised chicken and peppers recipe since my student days, back when I lived in a tiny studio tucked into a narrow building in the old city. With just a two-burner stove and barely any counter space, I had to balance my hunger for cooking traditional Spanish meals with the limits of a student kitchen.
Braised chicken, simmered in a rustic red pepper and tomato sauce, checks all the boxes to make it a favorite. It’s affordable, only requires one pan, and the result is full of smoky, savory flavor. Even now, more than a decade later, it’s still in my regular rotation.
Typically, it’s made with a whole chicken broken down into bone-in parts. But I prefer sticking with just dark meat or just white meat since the white meat dries out before the dark meat is tender. Slow simmering deepens the sauce’s sweet, smoky flavor while the chicken becomes tender and rich. Just don’t forget the crusty bread. Every drop of the sauce is worth savoring.
Table of Contents
What is Pollo al Chilindrón?
Chilindrón, or txilindron in Basque, is a simple yet bold sauce made with peppers, onions, tomatoes, and garlic. Red bell peppers are most common, though some versions mix in green or use fire-roasted piquillo peppers. The dish, which appears often on lunch menus of traditional restaurants called mesones, originates from northern Spain, particularly the Ebro Valley regions of Aragón, Navarra, La Rioja, and the Basque Country, areas renowned for cultivating some of the country’s finest peppers.
What’s in Basque Chicken and Peppers?
Bone-in chicken becomes juicy and tender as it braises with tomatoes and aromatics. Here’s everything you’ll need:
- Chicken thighs and drumsticks: I like to use bone-in, skin-on chicken legs, which are economical and become tender and flavorful as they cook. You can use only drumsticks or thighs, if you prefer. See below for tips on substituting boneless, skinless chicken instead.
- Extra virgin olive oil helps the chicken brown and adds richness to the sauce. I think it’s fitting to use a fruity, peppery Spanish Hojiblanca olive oil for this recipe.
- Onion becomes mild and sweet as it simmers in the sauce.
- Red bell peppers: While this dish often includes a mix of red and green peppers, I like the sweet fruitiness of using just red bell peppers. You can use any type of sweet pepper in this recipe.
- Jamón Serrano: Diced cured Spanish ham adds savory nuttiness and richness to the sauce. Pancetta may be easier to find and is a good substitute. Using bacon will add a layer of smoky flavor, which isn’t traditional, but will work fine.
- Garlic adds its distinctive savory flavor to the sauce and sweetens as it simmers.
- Spanish smoked paprika: Made from finely ground smoked and dried sweet red peppers, smoked paprika adds a fruity, smoky flavor to the sauce.
- Fire-roasted canned tomatoes: You can use either diced or crushed tomatoes, whichever you prefer, but look for fire-roasted canned tomatoes for the rich, smoky flavor they add.
- White wine: A bit of white wine adds fruity complexity and liquid for the chicken to braise in. If you’re avoiding alcohol, substitute chicken stock with a splash of vinegar—sherry, white wine, or apple cider—to mimic the wine’s acidity.
- Sugar balances the acidity of the tomatoes and white wine.
- Bay leaf adds a complex herbaceous note to the sauce.
- Fresh thyme infuses the sauce with its earthy, herby flavor.
- Kosher salt and black pepper bring out the flavors of the other ingredients.
How to Make Pollo al Chilindrón
This braised chicken and peppers recipe is an easy, one-pan meal that’s ready to serve in just over an hour. Here are the steps:
- Brown the chicken. Season 2 pounds, bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs, drumsticks, or both all over with salt and pepper. In a large skillet, heat 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and sear until golden, 3 to 4 minutes per side. The chicken doesn’t need to be cooked through at this point. Transfer to a plate.
- Cook the onions and peppers. Reduce the heat to medium. Add 1 thinly sliced onion; 2 thinly sliced red bell peppers; 3 1/2 ounces (100g) diced jamón Serrano, pancetta, or bacon; and 4 thinly sliced garlic cloves. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is translucent, 8 to 10 minutes. Add 1/2 teaspoon smoked Spanish paprika and cook for an additional 30 seconds.
- Braise the chicken. Add 1 (14.5-ounce) can fire-roasted crushed or diced tomatoes, 1/2 cup (120ml) dry white wine (or chicken stock mixed with 1 tablespoon of apple cider or white wine vinegar), 1 teaspoon sugar, 1 bay leaf, and a few sprigs of fresh thyme. Scrape the bottom of the pan to loosen any browned bits and incorporate them into the sauce. Nestle the chicken into the sauce. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low to maintain a gentle simmer. Cook, uncovered, for 35 minutes or until the chicken is tender and the internal temperature registers 190 to 195°F on an instant-read thermometer.
- Serve. Remove from the heat and serve immediately.
How to Make It Your Own
A classic recipe like chilindrón wouldn’t have stood the test of time if busy home cooks couldn’t adapt it to their whims and needs. Here are some ideas for swaps you can make:
- Use boneless, skinless chicken. Either breasts or chicken thighs will work, though they may cook more quickly depending on the thickness. Check the chicken after 15 minutes of braising. Chicken breasts should register 165°F on an instant-read thermometer, and chicken thighs are more tender if cooked to around 190°F.
- Use jarred peppers. Use thinly sliced roasted red peppers, especially fire-roasted piquillo or Florina peppers. In step 2 below, cook the onion, jamón, and garlic for 5 minutes. Add the roasted red peppers and continue cooking for 5 minutes.
- Instead of wine, try it with dry hard cider.
What to Serve with Basque Chicken and Peppers
For me, it’s not a meal without some crusty bread on the table, but you can serve pollo al chilindrón with any side that would welcome a spoonful of the red pepper tomato sauce on top. Try steamed rice or saffron rice, roasted potatoes, or garlic mashed potatoes.
For a lighter side, I’d pair it with this smashed cucumber salad in the summer or this endive salad with citrus in the colder months.
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Basque Chicken and Peppers (Pollo al Chilindrón)
Ingredients
- 2 pounds bone-in skin-on chicken thighs, drumsticks, or both
- Kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 onion, thinly sliced
- 2 red bell peppers, thinly sliced
- 3 1/2 ounces diced jamón Serrano, pancetta, or bacon (100g)
- 4 garlic cloves thinly sliced
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked Spanish paprika
- 1 (14.5-ounce) can fire-roasted crushed or diced tomatoes
- 1/2 cup dry white wine
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 bay leaf
- Fresh thyme
Instructions
- Brown the chicken. Season the chicken pieces all over with salt and pepper. In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and sear until golden, 3 to 4 minutes per side. The chicken doesn’t need to be cooked through at this point.Transfer to a plate.
- Cook the onions and peppers. Reduce the heat to medium. Add the onion, peppers, jamón, and garlic. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is translucent, 8 to 10 minutes. Add the paprika and cook for an additional 30 seconds.
- Braise the chicken. Add the tomatoes, white wine, sugar, bay leaf, and thyme. Scrape the bottom of the pan to loosen any browned bits and incorporate them into the sauce. Nestle the chicken into the sauce. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low to maintain a gentle simmer. Cook, uncovered, for 35 minutes or until the chicken is tender and the internal temperature registers 190 to 195°F on an instant-read thermometer.
- Serve. Remove from the heat and serve immediately.
Notes
- Shop this recipe: Visit our shop to browse quality Mediterranean ingredients including the olive oil and smoked paprika used in this recipe.
- To use boneless, skinless chicken: Either breasts or chicken thighs will work, though they may cook more quickly depending on the thickness. Check the chicken after 15 minutes of braising. Chicken breasts should register 165°F on an instant-read thermometer, and chicken thighs are more tender if cooked to around 190°F.
- To substitute jarred peppers. Use thinly sliced roasted red peppers, especially fire-roasted piquillo or Florina peppers. In step 2, cook the onion, jamón, and garlic for 5 minutes. Add the roasted red peppers and continue cooking for 5 minutes.
- To substitute the wine: Use chicken stock mixed with 1 tablespoon of apple cider or white wine vinegar.
Nutrition
Try our Smoked Spanish Paprika
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I used fresh roma tomatoes that I pre-roasted. Delicious
Ooo! Sounds wonderful!
This was delicious! So flavorful and easy! Would make again!
I cannot eat pork products. What is your recommended substitution?
Hi, Neva! I’m Summer and I work here at The Mediterranean Dish. I you can just leave the pancetta out of the recipe, but you’ll want to replace some of that smokey flavor so you can either add a little liquid smoke (1/4 teaspoon) or try adding some smoked paprika. Good luck!
Would smoked turkey give the right flavor?