Alcáçovas Golden Chicken

Alcáçovas golden chicken is a suggestion for the Christmas table: it is first boiled with bacon, linguiça, onion and parsley, then finished in a frying pan, where it develops a golden surface. The stock is used to make a noodle soup, which can be served to start the meal.

A recipe from Alcáçovas

Carta Gastronómica do Alentejo records this preparation in Alcáçovas, in the municipality of Viana do Alentejo, through Maria Eduarda, who learned it from her family. The source associates it with winter and describes the chicken as boiled, cut in half and then browned with onion, garlic, parsley and bay leaf, with a little vinegar added at the end.

Estimated yield: 4 to 6 people, with noodle soup to start
Approximate time: 2 to 3 hours, depending on the age and toughness of the chicken

Ingredients

• 1 free-range chicken, cleaned and ready to cook, weighing about 1.8 to 2 kg
• 100 g fresh bacon
• 1 250 g Alentejan linguiça
• 2 medium onions, about 300 g in total
• 3 garlic cloves
• 20 g parsley, divided into two portions
• 1 bay leaf
• 60 ml olive oil
• 15 ml wine vinegar
• About 2.5 to 3 l water, enough to cover the chicken
• Salt, adjusting after tasting the stock
• 80 g small pasta for the noodle soup, such as broken vermicelli

Step-by-step preparation

1. Prepare the pot.
   Place the chicken in a large pot with the bacon, the whole linguiça, one peeled onion cut into quarters and half the parsley. Add enough water to cover the bird, starting with about 2.5 l. Use only a little salt initially, as the linguiça will season the stock.
2. Cook slowly.
   Bring to the boil and skim the foam from the surface. Reduce to a gentle simmer and cook with the lid slightly ajar. A free-range chicken may need about 1½ to 2½ hours; start checking after 75 minutes. Remove the linguiça as soon as it is cooked, usually after 20 to 30 minutes, and set aside. The chicken is ready when the thigh meat yields easily to a fork and begins to pull away at the joint. If using a thermometer, confirm at least 75 °C in the thickest part, without touching the bone. Add hot water if necessary to keep the bird covered.
3. Drain and cut the chicken.
   Remove the cooked chicken and bacon. Strain the stock and set it aside. Let the bird rest for a few minutes, until you can handle it, and cut it in half using poultry shears or a suitable knife, supporting it on a stable board. Lightly pat the skin dry with kitchen paper so it browns better.
4. Prepare the onion and brown the chicken.
   Cut the second onion into pieces, and chop the garlic and remaining parsley. Heat the olive oil in a wide frying pan and add the onion. Let it soften for about 5 minutes, then add the garlic, parsley and bay leaf. Add the chicken halves, skin-side down first, and brown for about 6 to 8 minutes. Turn and heat the other side for a further 3 to 4 minutes. Work in two batches if necessary and move the onion to the sides so it does not burn; remove it temporarily if it starts to darken too much.
5. Finish with the vinegar.
   Return the onion to the chicken. Pour in the vinegar and about 50 ml of the reserved stock to loosen the juices from the bottom without making the sauce watery. Cover and cook gently for 3 to 5 minutes. Taste the sauce, adjust the salt and remove the bay leaf.
6. Make the noodle soup.
   While the chicken is finishing, bring 1.2 l of the strained stock to the boil in another pot. If it is too concentrated or salty, dilute it with a little water. Add the 80 g of pasta and cook for the time indicated on the package, stirring at the beginning so it does not stick. Taste and adjust the salt. Serve the noodle soup hot as a starter.
7. Serve the chicken.
   Arrange the golden chicken on a serving platter with the onion and pan juices. Slice the cooked linguiça and bacon and serve them separately, reheating them in a little stock if necessary. Divide the chicken into portions at the table or before serving.

The secret is to drain it well

The initial cooking makes the meat tender; the frying pan gives it colour. Drain and dry the surface before browning, preventing the water from causing splashes and stopping the skin from browning. Do not leave it in the frying pan for too long: the chicken is already cooked.

Wine and linguiça at the table

To accompany it, we recommend Cartuxa Branco 2024 – DOC Alentejo–Évora, served chilled.

Use Alentejan White Pork Linguiça, 250 g when cooking the chicken. One package corresponds to the quantity used in this recipe; once cooked, slice it into rounds to serve separately.

Advance preparation and storage

You can cook the chicken the day before. Separate the bird from the stock, cool both promptly and store them covered in the refrigerator. Before browning, reheat the chicken in a little stock until it is thoroughly hot in the centre; drain and dry the skin again. Make the noodle soup close to serving time so the pasta does not absorb too much stock. Any remaining stock can be frozen in small portions.

More flavours of the Alentejo

For another poultry recipe, discover our Ponte de Sor Duck Rice.

Source and adaptations

Carta Gastronómica do Alentejo (2013), p. 615, «Galinha Corada», Alcáçovas, Viana do Alentejo. Interview with Maria Eduarda by Mariana Santos, Terras Dentro, in 2012.

Recipe collected in the Alentejo and adapted by Herdade do Estacal for the «À Mesa com o Alentejo» blog. We have kept the cooking with bacon and linguiça, the noodle soup made with the stock and the finishing of the chicken in the frying pan with onion, garlic, parsley, bay leaf and vinegar. The quantities, timings and 50 ml of stock used in the finishing are guidelines for this adaptation. Yield and timings are estimates.