If you like Padròn peppers, this padròn sautée with the peppers, mushroom and chicken will make you sing. Slightly spicy with a lingering pepper flavour, the bite sized peppers impart wonderful flavour to this quick-and-easy sautée!
Padròn peppers are small green peppers originating from Spain. Generally mild in flavour, a few odd ones are surprisingly hot. The Russian roulette ‘hot-or-not’ aspect makes the peppers exciting for many. We love them for their peppery flavour.
Padròn peppers are the closest thing we can find to ‘pima cari’ in Mauritius. They could well be one and the same. Pima cari is usually pan fried with salt and pepper until blistered and eaten as a side to various dishes. For an indulgent treat, the pima cari peppers are stuffed with cheese, chicken or tuna and battered before being deep fried until golden (see Insta post).
When we came accross Padròn peppers here, we got a tad carried away! We added Padròn peppers to almost everything we were making. This is how this dish came to be! We slipped a handful of the peppers to a chicken and mushroom stir sautée and the results were glorious! The peppers are pan fried at high heat to impart a smoky, charred flavour to the sautée. Serve as a side, or bring the pub to your place with this tasty grub!
Questions you may have about this Padròn, mushroom and chicken sautée
Is it necessary to deseed the Padròn peppers?
No, the peppers are mostly mild. However, if you would like to err on the side of caution, remove the seeds.
Can I make a vegetarian version of this sautée?
Certainly! This recipe celebrates the Padròn pepper; for a vegetarian version, omit or swap out the chicken for a vegetarian alternative of your choosing.
Padròn Pepper, mushroom and chicken sautée
Ingredients
- 100-120 g Padròn peppers
- 200 g chicken breasts
- 100 g mushrooms
- 4 spring onions
- 3 tbsp olive oil
For the chicken marinade
- 1 clove garlic, crushed
- 1 tbsp oyster sauce
Instructions
- Slice the chicken into small strips and in a small bowl combine with the crushed (or finely chopped) garlic, oyster sauce and pepper.
- Half the Padròn peppers and remove their seeds. Slice the mushrooms.
- Place a heavy bottomed pan, add half of the oil and heat to high.
- Pan fry the Padròn peppers for 5 minutes until blistered and lightly charred. The peppers should be al dente and will wilt slightly.
- Remove from the pan and season with salt.
- Add the remaining oil to the pan. Pan fry the mushrooms and sliced spring onions for 2-3 minutes on medium high heat before adding in the chicken. Cook, stirring frequently for 5-7 minutes until the chicken is golden on the outside and cooked through on the inside.
- When the chicken is cooked, add the Padròn peppers. Mix through and immediately take off the heat.
- Enjoy warm or cold on slices of crusty bread.