Tag Archives: braised chicken

Creamy Braised Chicken with Jura Wine and Morels

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Or, as the French would say “Poulet au Vin Jaune de Jura” — which is the best chicken you can find slowly simmered in wine. Now obtaining the Jura wine was problematic, but we found you can substitute 1 1/3 cups white wine with 2/3 cup dry sherry (fino) for the 2 cups of vin juane de Jura. If the end result was any indication, the Jura wine was not missed at all—the meal was fabulous!

According to the online article that accompanied this recipe “The luxurious recipe typically calls for an AOP Poulet de Bresse, a super-high-quality chicken raised in the Alpine region of the same name. While some American farmers are raising the breed stateside, the original French specimens are rarely available in the United States, so in the absence of the “real deal,” use the nicest free-range chicken you can find.” And so we did…

To the sauce, add as many morels as you can afford. When in season, fresh morels are easily substituted for dry—just replace the soaking liquid in the recipe with an equal amount of chicken stock. Well, finding dried morels was easier said than done. After scouring four different grocery stores with no luck, oddly enough it was the least upscale supermarket where we finally scored!

And even though the directions do not indicate to cut the morels, ours were quite large so we quartered them after their 30-minute soak.

Creamy Braised Chicken with Wine and Morels

  • Servings: 4
  • Difficulty: easy
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Ingredients

  • 1 oz. dried morels (about 1½ cups)
  • 1⁄4 cup plus 1 Tbsp. all-purpose flour, divided
  • One 3- to 4-lb. free-range chicken
  • 4 Tbsp. unsalted butter, divided
  • 1 large shallot, finely chopped (¾ cup)
  • 1 medium garlic clove, finely chopped (1 tsp.)
  • 2 cups vin jaune de Jura, divided*
  • 5 sprigs of fresh thyme
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 8 oz. crème fraîche
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
  • Crusty bread, noodles, or rice, to serve

Instructions

  1. In a small pot, bring 1 cup of water to a boil. Inspect the morels for visible dirt or grit, and brush them off with a moist paper towel. Once the water boils, turn off the heat and add the morels to the water, and set aside to soak. (If the morels aren’t fully submerged, stir them occasionally to make sure they all become rehydrated.)
  2. Pat the chicken dry with a paper towel and use kitchen shears or a boning knife to trim off the wing flats and tips, reserving them for another use. Separate the chicken into 7 pieces: 2 breasts (on the bone and connected to the wing drum), 2 thighs, 2 drumsticks and the backbone. Transfer the chicken pieces to a large bowl, season lightly with salt and pepper, then sprinkle with ¼ cup of flour and toss until the chicken is coated evenly on all sides.
  3. In a large pot or Dutch oven, melt 3 tablespoons of butter over medium heat. When the butter begins to bubble, and working in batches as needed so as to not crowd the pan, add the chicken parts (including the backbone) skin side down in one layer and cook, turning occasionally, until browned all over, about 25 minutes per batch. Transfer the chicken to a platter and set aside.
  4. Add the shallots and garlic to the pan and cook, stirring occasionally, until the shallots soften and lose their color, 3–4 minutes. Using your fingers or a slotted spoon, scoop the morels out of their soaking liquid (reserving the liquid), then add them to the pot and continue cooking for another minute.
  5. Add 1½ cups of the wine to the pot and cook for a few seconds, stirring and scraping the bottom of the pan. Return the chicken to the pot and bring to a simmer. Strain the reserved morel soaking liquid through a very fine mesh sieve or coffee filter and add it to the pot along with the thyme and bay leaf. Lower the heat to low, partially cover, and cook at a gentle simmer, turning the chicken occasionally until the thigh meat is very tender, 40–50 minutes.
  6. Use tongs to transfer the chicken pieces to the platter and set aside. Return the pan to medium heat and continue simmering the cooking liquid until it has reduced by about a third, 10–12 minutes. Season to taste with additional salt and pepper if needed.
  7. On a cutting board or a plate, use a fork to mash the remaining butter and flour together to form a paste. Whisk the paste into the braising liquid and cook until it begins to thicken, about 3 minutes. Lower the heat to low, then whisk in the crème fraîche and ¼ cup of wine. Return the chicken to the pot and simmer together until the sauce has thickened and coats the back of a spoon, 10–12 minutes.
  8. Remove and discard the bay leaf, thyme stems, and chicken backbone. Add the remaining ¼ cup of wine and cook one more minute more, just to combine the flavors. (Do not cook off the alcohol in this final addition, which is meant to enhance the flavors of the wine added earlier in the process.) Serve hot, with crusty bread, noodles, or rice on the side.

*NOTE: If unable to locate Jura wine, substitute 1 1/3 cups white wine with 2/3 cup dry sherry (fino).

http://www.lynnandruss.com

Recipe by Tammie Teclemariam for Saveur

A Chicken Dish Worth Repeating

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When it comes to poultry, The Hubs favors the dark meat and I most often prefer the white meat. What’s nice about this Senegalese Braised Chicken with Onions and Lime recipe is you can use a combination of both and make everyone happy. And happy is the name of the game when you’ve been hunkered down together for months (thanks COVID).

Don’t let the name fool you. With just a few ingredients, “Yassa Ginaar” delivers multiple layers of flavor—savory yet sweet with lightly caramelized onions, citrusy with lime zest and juice, meaty from the deeply browned chicken, and slightly spicy from the heat of a habañero chili. This version from Milk Street is based on a recipe in “Yolele!” by Pierre Thiam, who marinates then sears the chicken, then uses the marinade as a base for the flavorful sauce.

Bouillon concentrate adds to the savoriness of the dish. As it is for Milk Street, our preferred brand is Better than Bouillon. We paired our entrée with a side of sautéed spinach in roasted garlic olive oil and jasmine rice steamed in homemade chicken stock. A side of creamy mashed potatoes would work easily as well for the saucy onion bed.

Keep in mind that you don’t want to marinate the chicken for longer than two hours; the acidity of the lime juice will soften the meat and turn it mushy. Likewise, don’t use an uncoated cast-iron pot. The lime’s acidity will react with the metal, causing the sauce to taste metallic—not necessarily a flavor enhancer in our book!

Senegalese Braised Chicken with Onions and Lime

  • Servings: 6
  • Difficulty: easy
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Ingredients

  • 4 Tbsp. peanut oil, divided
  • 3 Tbsp. grated lime zest, plus 6 tablespoons lime juice
  • 1 habanero chili, seeded and minced
  • Kosher salt and ground black pepper
  • 2 tsp. chicken bouillon concentrate
  • 2 lbs. bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts, thighs or drumsticks, trimmed
  • 3 medium yellow onions, halved and thinly sliced
  • Finely chopped fresh chives, to serve
  • Reserve some of the oil-zest mixture
  • Marinate onions and chicken in a large ziploc bag
  • Drain chicken and onions in a colander over a large bowl
  • Sear the top side of the chicken breasts to brown
  • Remove browned chicken pieces to a plate
  • Cook onions in same braising pot as chicken
  • Nestle chicken on top of cooked onions
  • After 20 minutes check temperature of chicken
  • If necessary, reduce down oniony sauce to thicken
  • Spoon sauce around plated chicken and top with chopped chives

Directions

  1. In a small bowl, stir together 3 tablespoons of oil, the lime zest, habanero, 1 tablespoon salt and 1 teaspoon pepper. Transfer 2 teaspoons of the mixture to a pinch pot and set aside.
  2. To the remaining oil-zest mixture, whisk in the lime juice, bouillon and ¼ cup water. Place the chicken and onions in a large ziploc bag, add the oil-zest mixture, seal and toss. Let marinate at room temperature for 1 hour or refrigerate up to 2 hours, turning once.
  3. Set a colander over a large bowl and strain the contents of the ziploc. Remove the chicken and pat dry with paper towels. Reserve both the marinade and the onions for later.
  4. In a large Dutch oven over medium-high, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon oil until barely smoking. Add the chicken, skin side down, and cook until well browned, about 4-5 minutes.
  5. Transfer to a plate and pour off and discard all but 1 tablespoon of the fat. Set the pot over medium heat and stir in the onions and ¼ cup water, scraping up any browned bits.
  6. Cover and cook, stirring frequently, until the onions are softened and lightly browned, 15 to 20 minutes.
  7. Stir the reserved marinade into the onions. Return the chicken, skin side up, nestling the pieces into the sauce, and pour in any accumulated juices. Reduce to medium-low, cover and cook until a skewer inserted into the thickest part meets no resistance, about 20-25 minutes.
  8. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the chicken to a serving platter or shallow bowl. If the saucy onions appear too watery, reduce them down, uncovered, for 10-15 minutes at a rolling simmer to thicken. Off heat, stir the reserved oil-zest mixture into the onions, then taste and season with salt and pepper.
  9. Spoon the onions and sauce around the chicken and sprinkle with chives.

http://www.lynnandruss.com

Adapted from a recipe found on Milk Street