Pollo al Ajillo — Print Recipe

Chicken pieces braised with an extravagant amount of garlic, lime, and a touch of scotch bonnet heat. The garlic softens into sweet, mellow cloves while the sauce reduces to a glossy, intensely flavored coating.

Ingredients

1.2kg chicken pieces
20 cloves garlic, peeled (half sliced, half whole)
Juice of 3 limes
3 tbsp olive oil
1 scotch bonnet pepper, whole
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 cup chicken broth
Salt and black pepper to taste
Fresh parsley, chopped

Instructions

1 Season the chicken pieces with salt, pepper, paprika, cumin, and half the lime juice. Marinate for twenty minutes.
2 Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Brown the chicken pieces on all sides, about ten minutes total. Remove and set aside.
3 Reduce heat to medium. Add the sliced and whole garlic cloves to the pan and cook for three minutes until fragrant and just beginning to turn golden.
4 Return the chicken to the pan, add the whole scotch bonnet pepper and chicken broth. Cover and braise on low heat for thirty minutes until the chicken is cooked through and tender.
5 Remove the lid, increase heat to medium, and cook for five more minutes to reduce the sauce to a glossy coating. Add the remaining lime juice.
6 Remove the scotch bonnet, garnish with parsley, and serve with coconut rice or fried plantains.

Did You Know?

The Spanish Pollo al Ajillo traditionally uses white wine, but the Equatorial Guinean version substitutes lime juice, creating a brighter, more tropical flavor profile.