Ixta Belfrage's Skillet Chicken With Pineapple And ’Nduja Recipe

Name: Ixta Belfrage's Skillet Chicken With Pineapple And ’Nduja Recipe
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 1 h
Yield: 4
Ingredients: 4 skin-on, bone-in chicken thighs, at room temperature; 4 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed with the side of a knife; 1 medium onion, halved and very thinly sliced on a mandoline; 1/2 large extra-ripe pineapple, peeled (10 oz/300 g); 4 sweet tangerines, or 2 oranges, squeezed to get 7 tbsp (100 g) juice; 7 tbsp (100 g) chicken bone broth, stock or water; 2 tbsp heavy cream; 1/4 cup (5 g) cilantro; 1 lime, cut into wedges; 1 3/4 ounces (50 g) ’nduja paste or spread; 2 tbsp olive oil; 2 tsp tomato paste; 1/2 tsp chipotle flakes; 1/2 tsp paprika; 3/4 tsp fine salt; About 20 twists of freshly ground black pepper

Prep Time15 mins
Total Time1 hr
Makes4 servings

The combination of sweet and savoury in this recipe, from Ixta Belfrage's new cookbook Mexcla, is perfect. There is no greater union than that of pork and pineapple; the pork here comes in the form of ’nduja, a spreadable chili-spiked sausage from Calabria. Add chicken, pineapple, chipotle and tangerine to the mix and you’ve got yourself a party.

Ingredients

4 skin-on, bone-in chicken thighs, at room temperature
4 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed with the side of a knife
1 medium onion, halved and very thinly sliced on a mandoline
1/2 large extra-ripe pineapple, peeled (10 oz/300 g)
4 sweet tangerines, or 2 oranges, squeezed to get 7 tbsp (100 g) juice
7 tbsp (100 g) chicken bone broth, stock or water
2 tbsp heavy cream
1/4 cup (5 g) cilantro
1 lime, cut into wedges

’Nduja and Chipotle Paste

1 3/4 ounces (50 g) ’nduja paste or spread
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tsp tomato paste
1/2 tsp chipotle flakes
1/2 tsp paprika
3/4 tsp fine salt
About 20 twists of freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 400°F.
Put all the ingredients for the ’Nduja and Chipotle Paste into a large bowl and mix together. Add the chicken, garlic, and three-quarters of the sliced onion (save the rest to serve) and mix well so everything is coated evenly. Tip the chicken, onions and garlic into an 11-inch ovenproof cast-iron skillet or similar-sized baking dish. Spread out the chicken thighs and arrange, skin side up, on top of the onions and garlic.
Cut the pineapple into 4 rounds, then cut each round into quarters, removing the hard core (you should have about 300 g). Add the pineapple to the bowl with the remnants of the paste, mix to coat with whatever’s left there, then arrange the pineapple around the chicken.
Pour the tangerine juice around the chicken (don’t get the skin wet), then bake for 20 min. Remove from the oven and pour the bone broth into the pan around the chicken (again, don’t get the skin wet).Return to the oven for another 20 to 25 min, or until the chicken is cooked through and the skin is browned and crispy. If you have a blowtorch, use it to char the pineapple a little.
Let the chicken rest for 5 to 10 min, then drizzle the cream into the sauce. Toss the cilantro and the remaining sliced onions together with a tiny bit of oil and salt and arrange them on top. Serve straight from the pan, with the lime wedges alongside.

Kitchen Tip

Marinate the chicken up to two days ahead, but don’t mix in the onion and garlic until ready to bake.

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