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Home » Spanish » Chilindron, Spanish Stew

Chilindron, Spanish Stew

By Hank Shaw on October 2, 2011, Updated January 22, 2021 - 150 Comments

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4.93 from 63 votes
chilindron recipe in a bowl
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chilindron recipe in a bowl
Photo by Holly A. Heyser

Chilindron is a Spanish stew, and is one of my favorite dishes, so versatile that it stands outside the normal categories of venison, upland birds, etc.

Chilindron (chill-in-DRONE)  is dominated by roasted red peppers, paprika and onions. Most recipes also call for rosemary, olive oil, garlic, some tomatoes, good stock and wine.

The stew originates in Aragon, a part of central Spain. I first heard about this stew in the late, great Penelope Casas’ Delicioso! The Regional Cooking of Spain, but I’ve since read about a dozen other recipes for this classic in other Spanish cookbooks.

It is rich, woodsy, and bright, a perfect combination of the “red food” many of us crave (spaghetti sauce, chili, etc – think about the colors in your favorite foods and you’ll find many of them are reddish) with the slightly austere, piney flavors that mark European wild game cooking.

I make this stew every few weeks I love it so much; it is one of the few “standards” I will repeat on a regular basis.

As for what meat to use, the Spanish stew typically features lamb or chicken. This hints at the range this stew possesses. I have made chilindron with good results from chicken, pheasant, rabbit, beef, venison and antelope, wild boar and pork. There is no reason you cannot toss in whatever you like.

I suppose you could even make a vegetarian version with mushrooms. When switching from light to dark meat, switch from white to red wine, too. Other than that, I use this basic recipe.

chilindron recipe in a bowl
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4.93 from 63 votes

Chilindron, a Spanish Stew

A versatile Spanish stew that can use any meat. It is dominated by paprika, roasted red peppers, and onions. You can also add rosemary and wild mushrooms, too.
Prep Time20 mins
Cook Time2 hrs
Total Time2 hrs 20 mins
Course: Main Course, Soup
Cuisine: Spanish
Servings: 6
Calories: 459kcal
Author: Hank Shaw

Ingredients

  • 3 pounds chicken, pheasant, lamb, venison or rabbit, in serving pieces
  • 2 large onions, sliced root to tip
  • 10 cloves chopped garlic
  • 2 tablespoons sweet paprika
  • 1 tablespoon hot paprika
  • 1 jar (15 ounces or so), or 5 roasted red sweet peppers, chopped
  • 1 cup crushed tomatoes
  • 2 cups red or white wine
  • Stock if needed (whatever goes with your choice of meat)
  • 1/2 cup diced cured meat: Bacon, pancetta, ham, etc.
  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
  • 4 bay leaves
  • 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • Salt and pepper
  • Large handful of dried mushrooms (optional)

Instructions

  • If using, put the mushrooms in a container just large enough to hold them and pour hot water over them. Cover and set aside.
  • Salt the meat and set aside for 20 minutes at room temperature. Use this time to chop the veggies.
  • Pat the meat dry and pour the olive oil in a large Dutch oven or other heavy pot that has a lid. Heat the pot over medium-high heat. Brown the meat on all sides in batches. Do not overcrowd the pot. Set the meat aside in a bowl when browned. Take your time and do this right. Add more oil if needed.
  • When the meat is browned, add the onions and stir to bring up some of the browned bits on the bottom of the pan. Sprinkle the onions with a little salt. Cook until they begin to brown, then add the garlic, the cured meat and the mushrooms, if using. Cook until fragrant, then add the meat back to the pot and mix well.
  • Pour in the wine and turn the heat up to high. Stir and boil furiously until the wine is half gone. Turn the heat back down to medium and add the tomatoes, the roasted red peppers and all the spices and herbs (except the parsley). Stir well. The level of liquid should be about 2/3 the way up the sides of the meat. If it is low, add the stock. I typically need about 2 cups.
  • Cover and cook at a bare simmer — just barely bubbling — until done. How long is that? Depends on the meat. Rarely is any meat done within an hour, but I’d check a store-bought chicken then. I find pheasants and rabbits take about 90 minutes, boar, pork and hares about 2 hours, and venison and beef up to 3 hours or more. Use your judgment.
  • Right before serving, test for salt and add some if needed. Add black pepper and the parsley and stir well. Serve with mashed potatoes, rice, polenta or bread. Simple sauteed greens are a good accompaniment. A big red wine is also a must, ideally something Spanish, like a Rioja.

Nutrition

Calories: 459kcal | Carbohydrates: 13g | Protein: 27g | Fat: 28g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 89mg | Sodium: 500mg | Potassium: 514mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 2426IU | Vitamin C: 19mg | Calcium: 61mg | Iron: 3mg
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Filed Under: Recipe, Spanish, Wild Game

Avatar for Hank Shaw

Hank Shaw

Hey there. Welcome to Hunter Angler Gardener Cook, the internet's largest source of recipes and know-how for wild foods. I am a chef, author, and yes, hunter, angler, gardener, forager and cook. Follow me on Instagram and on Facebook.

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Comments

  1. Avatar for Robert JacobsRobert Jacobs says

    April 13, 2022 at 9:34 pm

    Is there any particular cut of beef you’d make this with? I’m sure chuck would be fine, but what about oxtails or London broil? I’d figure the latter would be closer to venison. We just got our 1/2 beef so pretty much everything is an option.

    Reply
    • Avatar for Hank ShawHank Shaw says

      April 14, 2022 at 7:40 am

      Robert: I wouldn’t use London broil, but oxtails would be very nice.

      Reply
      • Avatar for Robert JacobsRobert Jacobs says

        April 14, 2022 at 10:16 am

        Thank you, appreciate the response. I’m having Buck, Buck, Moose delivered this afternoon and can’t wait to check it out. Thanks for such a great site.

  2. Avatar for Martin JaquaMartin Jaqua says

    March 18, 2022 at 12:27 pm

    I made this for the first time last weekend and loved it. I was inspired in part by a recent trip to Cabo, where I had a delicious, rich molcajete stew for dinner one night. I then found the Chilindron recipie in Buck, Buck, Moose, and decided it looked like a good use for a boneless neck roast from a bull elk I took a couple years ago. I followed the book’s recipe pretty closely, using home-roatsed ripe (red) Poblano peppers from last year’s garden. It turned out great and the spice level was both perfect for me (who likes things on the hotter side) and a hit with my significant other who prefers things on the milder side.

    Reply
  3. Avatar for ChrisChris says

    January 30, 2022 at 8:53 am

    I’ve made this several times with lamb. Oh so good. But now I’d really like to try an all mushroom version. Could you make some recommendations on type/ quantity? Appreciate it.

    Reply
    • Avatar for Hank ShawHank Shaw says

      January 30, 2022 at 10:25 am

      Chris: Sure. I’d use porcini or morels, but if you can’t get that, buy those “chef’s sampler” packs you get at the supermarket, or shiitakes. I’d use a couple pounds of fresh mushrooms.

      Reply
      • Avatar for ChrisChris says

        February 1, 2022 at 10:07 am

        Thanks Chef. Ended up with a couple of sampler packs, plus shiitake and good ol’ portobello. I caramelized about 2.5 lbs total in cast iron and added some coconut aminos at the end. Also added some smoked paprika to the overall recipe. Turned out better than expected, but still needs some more umami.
        Myabe more aminos or soy sauce. Next time, I’ll get mushrooms from the farmers market. Any other thoughts you might have would be appreciated.

  4. Avatar for Cathy StracenerCathy Stracener says

    January 28, 2022 at 4:46 pm

    What stock would work best with rabbit? I have both lamb and chicken stock.

    Reply
    • Avatar for Hank ShawHank Shaw says

      January 30, 2022 at 7:56 am

      Cathy: I’d use chicken in that case.

      Reply
  5. Avatar for JayJay says

    January 11, 2022 at 10:10 pm

    Can you recommend a kosher alternative for the cured meats you recommend?

    Reply
    • Avatar for Hank ShawHank Shaw says

      January 17, 2022 at 9:56 am

      Jay: You bet. Either leave them out or get cured beef or duck.

      Reply
  6. Avatar for Nancy LagunowitschNancy Lagunowitsch says

    January 10, 2022 at 12:03 pm

    Thanks Hank! Look forward to trying this and the latest Salmon Risotto!

    Kind regards,

    Nancy

    Reply
  7. Avatar for El L.El L. says

    January 9, 2022 at 4:58 pm

    This was utterly fantastic! I really enjoy the flavor of venison itself and never want to hide the taste, particularly since I’ve been cooking with some lovely well-processed young does for the last few years, so this dish was a bit of a leap of faith — but it’s amazing, and the best use for stew meat I’ve come across in a very long time. Added a wild mushroom blend and served it alongside homemade buns with ramp compound butter and it brightened up this snowy evening significantly.

    Reply
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Hi, my name is Hank Shaw. I am a James Beard Award-winning author and chef and I focus my energies on wild foods: Foraging, fishing, hunting. I write cookbooks as well as this website, have a website dedicated to the intersection of food and nature, and do a podcast, too. If it’s wild game, fish, or edible wild plants and mushrooms, you’ll find it here. Hope you enjoy the site!

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