Chilindrón is the Aragonese name for a sauce of red peppers, tomato, onion and garlic, often with ham. Spain’s official tourism service describes pollo al chilindrón as one of the most admired dishes of Aragonese cuisine and notes that the same preparation is used for lamb. It was the dish chosen to represent Aragon in the postage-stamp series by the postal service with the Real Academia de Gastronomía, presented in Huesca.
The chicken, cut into pieces, is browned in olive oil. In the same oil the onion, garlic and pepper strips are sautéed, diced ham and tomato are added, and the chicken returns to the pan to simmer slowly in the sauce until tender. Some recipes add wine or the pulp of dried pepper.
Zaragoza’s tourism authority treats chilindrón as one of the oldest sauces of the city’s cuisine, used with lamb, chicken and even cod. One of the preserved recipes is attributed to the writer Julio Alejandro, screenwriter for Luis Buñuel.
In the past, chicken was meat for festive days, which explains the dish’s place in celebrations. In Huesca it is associated with the fiestas of San Lorenzo in August, and the city organizes a contest dedicated to it in summer.