Every food blogger has their own reasons for engaging in the odd behaviors, rituals, and self-disciplines that go into maintaining an active food blog – apologizing to loved ones for consistently serving cold food because you needed time to photograph it, rarely cooking the same thing twice because you want to be able to make a post out of something new, timing each part of a recipe’s preparation, in order to give an accurate estimate of the preparation time – it’s all a bit nutty.

Some of us do it because it’s an escape – a place that is our own, but that we share with the thousands (millions?) of food blog readers, some hope to become famous food writers, and some, like me, enjoy the idea of keeping a flexible, updatable library of our favorite recipes (and, yes, I secretly dream of being a famous food writer, as well – with realistic expectations, of course.)

Until I started Besotted, my ‘library’ and its ‘notes’ were a handful of dog-earred pages that had been photocopied out of borrowed cookbooks, and Post-It Notes on the pages of my favorite recipes, reminding me to turn down the temperature of the oven, add an additional ingredient, or cook for a different amount of time. It was scattered at best, and not a very effective compendium of my cooking history.

This Pan-Roasted Chicken with Cognac Mustard Sauce was one of those recipes that I had photocopied out of a book, Second Helpings from Union Square Cafe. It has multiple updates to the ingredient list and quantities, and I took less than stringent notes on my updates to its preparation, so I was forever trying to remember what went right and wrong the last time. It was not a successful strategy. Posting here is a much more effective recipe library system and has the happy benefit of allowing me to share some of my favorite recipes. Enjoy!

Click here for a printable version of the recipe

Pan-Roasted Chicken with Cognac Sauce, Serves 4

Adapted from Second Helpings from Union Square Cafe

Prep Time: 40 Minutes

Roasting Time: 20 Minutes

Total Prep Time: 1 Hour

Ingredients:

2lbs. Chicken parts, preferably thighs and legs

1 Tsp. Salt

½ Tsp. Pepper

2 Tbls. Vegetable Oil

3 Cloves Garlic, chopped

2 Shallots, chopped

2 Tbls. Fresh Oregano, chopped

3 Bay Leaves

10 Peppercorns

¼ Cup Cognac

¼ Cup White Wine

1 Cup Chicken Stock

2 Tsp. Dijon Mustard

1 Tbls. Butter

Preparation:

Preheat the oven to 375°.

Season the chicken parts with the salt and pepper.

Heat the vegetable oil in a large saute pan over medium-high heat until the oil starts smoking. Add the seasoned chicken pieces to the pan, turn the heat down slightly, and cook on each side for 2 minutes, for a total of 6-8 minutes.

Position the chicken pieces so that the skin side is down, transfer the pan to the oven, and cook the chicken for 15 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and add the garlic, shallots, oregano, bay leaves, and peppercorns to the pan, mixing well. Return the pan to the oven and cook the chicken for an additional 5 minutes.

Remove the pan from the oven again, transfer the chicken to a serving plate and cover with aluminum foil to keep warm.

Place the pan over medium-high heat for 1-2 minutes, stirring the sauce constantly. Remove the pan from the heat to add the cognac; return to the heat and allow the sauce to reduce until syrupy, about 3 minutes. Add the wine and, again, reduce until syrupy, another 3-5 minutes. Add the stock and reduce slightly – about 5-10 minutes – until the sauce is rich and thick.

Whisk in the butter and mustard. Taste the sauce for seasoning – add salt and pepper as necessary. Return the chicken pieces to the pan to cover and warm with the sauce. Serve and enjoy!