Chicken with Romesco Sauce - Quick and Easy to Make
This is a highly versatile sauce you can serve with pasta, over roasted vegetables. It's also delicious as a dipping sauce with flatbread or crusty bread.
*Post updated March 2023
What is romesco sauce?
Romesco is a rich tomato-based sauce that originated in Catalonia in Spain. Fishermen in this area made this sauce to be eaten with fish.
It is typically made from any mixture of roasted tomatoes and garlic, toasted almonds, pine nuts, and/or hazelnuts, olive or sunflower oil, and mild-tasting nyora peppers.
It isn't a spicy sauce, but I like a bit of spice and so I added red chilli flakes, but of course, you can leave them out if you prefer.
Ingredients
- Roasted red peppers - drained from a jar
- Sundried tomatoes - drained from a jar
- Tomato puree - paste if you are in the US
- Garlic
- Smoked paprika
- Salt and black pepper
- Sherry vinegar
- Red chilli flakes (optional)
- Toasted slithered almonds
Equipment
Ideally, you need a small food processor or a stick blender you don't have to spend a fortune, can you buy stick blenders for as little as £30.But if you're into cooking you'll wonder how you lived without a good food processor.
Top Tips!
- If serving with pan-fried chicken as I did, you need to flatten the chicken between two sheets of clingfilm and bash it with something bashable! I use the flat side of a wooden meat tenderiser - it does a great job.
- It's far better made a few hours before you serve it so the flavours develop.
How long does romesco sauce last in the fridge?
Romesco sauce will keep for 3-4 days in the fridge when stored in an airtight container, you can freeze it, but it's best to use it within 2 months.
Romesco Sauce no bread recipe
Some romesco sauce recipes such as one by Jamie Oliver, contain stale bread, but you would then have to add a lot more oil, so I opted for no bread in my recipe.
My addition of sundried tomatoes is just my preference, they add to the gorgeous colour and give the sauce a really rich flavour.
How to make romesco sauce
Add the ingredients (apart from the olive oil) into a small food processor and give it a whizz.
Now add the olive oil and whizz again until you have a lovely smooth sauce.
What do you serve with romesco sauce?
Traditionally romesco is served with chicken, steak or fish. I particularly love it on chicken.
Romesco is also a delicious dip for flatbread or crusty bread and for that you would serve it at room temperature, or chilled.
Romesco chicken recipe
Have you tried this recipe? Please leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ star rating in the recipe card below!
Romesco Sauce Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- pinch of salt
- pinch of black pepper
- pinch of garlic granules
- 2 x skinless chicken fillets - flattened between cling film
- Sauce ingredients:
- 150g (4 large) roasted red peppers - drained for their vinegar
- 4 sundried tomatoes - drained from the oil
- 1 clove of garlic
- 1 tablespoon tomato puree (paste in the US)
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- pinch of salt
- pinch of black pepper
- a good pinch of red pepper flakes
- 1 tablespoon sherry vinegar
- 25g unsalted slivered almonds toasted (plus a few more to serve)
Instructions
- Flatten each chicken fillet between cling film by bashing with something bashable! Take care no to make them too thin be careful not to tear them.
- Mix the oil, paprika, salt, pepper and garlic granules together and coat the chicken on both sides.
- Add all of the sauce ingredients (apart from the olive oil) to a food processor, or you can use a stick blender.
- Whizz it up and then add the oil and whizz until you have a smooth sauce.
- Heat up a large non-stick frying pan.
- Pan-fry the flattened chicken fillets until cooked through - turning halfway.
- The exact time will depend on the thickness of your chicken, but it will be approx 10 minutes on each side.
- Serve the chicken with the sauce poured over and scatter a few extra almonds over the top.
Yum! This looks so delicious and tasty!
ReplyDelete