What is Catalan Chicken?
You’ve likely come across Catalan chicken in some way shape or form before, but have you ever actually stopped to think about what it is?
Well we have and we were pretty surprised to say the least!
There are two stories to be told here; one of the authentic catalan chicken and one for the fast-food pizza chain Dominos catalan chicken.
We will take a look at both, but we will start with the authentic catalan chicken.
So, what is catalan chicken? Catalan chicken is a rich main dish that originates from the Catalonia region in Spain. With the Catalonia cuisine being heavily influenced by the ingredients available along the mediterranean coast, most of the cuisine is rich in flavour and catalan chicken is no exception.
Catalan chicken is often made by first browning off the chicken, then simmering in a sauce containing prunes, raisins, onions, tomatoes (sometimes fresh, sometimes tinned tomatoes), pine nuts and white wine. The dish is then either served with rice or some kind of grain.
So there you have it. When someone asks: What is Catalan Chicken? You will know exactly what to say!
What Flavour is Catalan Chicken?
The flavour of Catalan chicken is heavily influenced by the rich ingredients that make up the sauce. The rich combination of plums, raisins and white wine all create a deep flavour that runs through the entire dish.
What does Catalan Chicken taste like?
Catalan chicken tastes like a rich, tomato based dish where the inclusion of prunes, raisins and white wine all shine through.
What is Catalan style?
Catalan style can be traced all the way back to the middle ages with several Catalan cookbooks being known to modern historians. The primary ingredients for Catalan style cooking include tomatoes, eggplants, garlic, artichokes, pasta, bread, olive oil, wine, mushrooms, pork, chicken, fruits.
Is Catalan Chicken Spicy?
Not usually no. Authentic Catalan chicken is a mild dish in most cases given that no spice is added to the sauce. However, as we will see, the Domino’s version of Catalan style chicken is quite different and is actually quite spicy.
What is Catalan Chicken Dominos?
Now we move onto the next story; The Catalan chicken that Dominos has made famous.
Dominos Catalan chicken shares a couple of the same ingredients that the authentic recipe does, however, there are some stark differences between the two.
The Dominos version of Catalan chicken includes the ingredients; Catalan-style pulled chicken, chorizo, onions, peppers and a drizzle of sour cream and paprika sauce.
Interestingly, there is no information on how they actually make their “Catalan-style pulled chicken” but after tasting it, we’d wager they don’t use a similar recipe as the one we listed above. The consistency of the chicken and the fact that it stains your hands suggests that the chicken is cooked in a thick, rich sauce however..
The inclusion of the chorizo is an interesting one. The chorizo Dominos uses in the Catalan chicken pizza adds a spiciness to the dish and we think the added warmth is a welcomed addition.
In addition to the chorizo, Dominos also uses a sour cream and paprika sauce to enhance the flavour of their catalan style pizza. These two sauces work really hard to take the pizza to the next level in terms of taste and the contrast between the colour of the sauces and rest of the ingredients is pretty nice.
Catalan Chicken Domino's Ingredients
Here is a rundown of the ingredients used in Domino’s Catalan Chicken:
- Chicken (90%)
- Marinade
- Sugar
- Dried Red Pepper
- Smoked Paprika Powder
- Dried Glucose
- Tomato Powder
- Onion Powder
- Yeast Extract
- Ground Coriander
- Acidity Regular: E330
- Black Pepper
- Maize Starch
- Ground Fennel
- Dried Onion
- Salt
- Chilli Powder
- Smoke Flavour
- Paprika Extract
- Thickener: E412
- Dried Parsley
Domino's Catalan Chicken and Chorizo Calories
The below is based on a Large Dominos Pizza and 3 slices of that pizza.
Andy
Ever since I started cooking I’ve been fascinated by how different people’s techniques are and how they best utilise the ingredients around them. Even the person living next door will have their own unique way of frying an egg or cooking a salmon fillet.
This fascination led me on a journey across the globe to discover the countless practices and traditions the world of cooking has to offer. I thought you’d enjoy and find value in sharing that journey with me so I created Cooked Best!