Besotted Gourmet » Chicken

Pan-Roasted Chicken with Cognac Mustard Sauce

Jessica — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 00:51:54 +0000

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!

Summer Fried Chicken

Jessica — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 15:24:13 +0000

I’ve come to the realization lately that my farm share may be taking over not only my fridge, but also a large portion of my life. As one friend put it, “the pressure to consume” all of the wonderful veggies can be a bit overwhelming, and I did find, as I looked back through the latest Besotted posts that they almost exclusively dealt with vegetables – noble and lovely as they are, I started to feel that there was something a bit lacking.

I spent a couple of quiet hours on Sunday pouring through my cooking magazines and books and came up with a lot of happy inspiration for delicious (and omnivorous!) meals. And, to get the ball rolling, I decided to start-out with one of my favorite carnivorous meals – Fried Chicken.

I know that I already have a Fried Chicken recipe up from the Winter, but this one, much more delicately seasoned and paired with Honey & Pepper Biscuits and fresh Green Beans seemed so much more in keeping with a light and bright summer mood.

This recipe also beats out the Winter version in its diminished complexity – owing to the amount of salt that the Winter version marinates in (which does give it tremendous flavor), it can not be left unattended for very long, and certainly not overnight. Whereas, this summery version can be marinated overnight, or for as little as 6 hours, depending on your schedule, making it far easier to plan and prepare for friends.

Below you’ll find the Summer Fried Chicken recipe, and, in the posts that follow, I’ll include the recipe for the Honey & Pepper Biscuits, as well as 2 Fresh Green Bean recipes – Green Beans with Fried Shallots and Green Beans with Onion Mustard Vinaigrette (one of my new favorites!).

Summer still seems to be clinging on here in New England, with a vigorous heat wave, and what a better way to celebrate the warm weather and sunshine than with a big plate of homemade fried chicken. Enjoy!

Click here for a printable version of the recipe

Summer Fried Chicken, Serves 4-6

Adapted from Bon Appetit

Prep Time: 90 Minutes

Marinating, Drying & Frying Time: 7 Hours 45 Minutes

Total Prep Time: 9-9.5 Hours

Ingredients:

3 Cups Buttermilk

1 Tbls. Kosher Salt

1 Tsp. Hot Pepper Sauce

3-4lbs. Chicken Pieces (thighs, legs, and wings are best)

2 Cups Flour

2 Tsp. Garlic Powder

2 Tsp. Onion Powder

2 Tsp. Paprika

1 Tsp. Cayenne Pepper

8-10 Cups Peanut Oil for frying

Preparation:

Mix together 2 cups of the buttermilk, salt, and hot pepper sauce in a large bowl. Add the chicken pieces, pushing down to submerge and cover thoroughly. Cover and put in the refrigerator for at least 6 hours or overnight.

Before removing the chicken from the refrigerator, prepare your battering station. Combine flour, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, and cayenne in a medium sized bowl and mix well. Pour half of the flour mixture into another medium sized bowl. Between the two flour bowls, add a third bowl filled with the remaining cup of buttermilk.

[Click here for a few tips on battering chicken]

Dredge the chicken pieces in the first bowl of flour and shake off any excess. Submerge the chicken piece in the buttermilk, coat thoroughly, and allow to drip dry. Lastly, dredge the chicken piece in the second flour bowl and, again, shake off any excess. Lay on a drying rack and repeat with the rest of the chicken pieces.

Place the drying rack, uncovered, in the refrigerator for 30-60 minutes.

When you’re ready to begin frying, pour the peanut oil to a depth of 1.5-2 inches into a large stock pot and heat over medium-high heat until it reaches 300°. Drop the battered and dried chicken pieces into the pot, skin-side down, two at a time, and cook for 12-14 minutes (6-7 minutes each side).

Remove to a plate covered in paper towels, and repeat until all of the chicken pieces are cooked. Sprinkle with a little sea salt, grab a mountain of paper napkins, serve, and enjoy!

Where my love affair with Crème Fraiche began…. Lemon Creme Chicken

Jessica — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 12:00:30 +0000

When I graduated college and was living on my own, I was excited, yet trepidatious about cooking for myself. While my childhood had been spent baking, I didn’t know the first thing about savory cooking – how long does it take to cook a chicken, at what temperature, and how do you know when it’s done? It was all very confusing and frightening….

Then, I came across this recipe from Amanda Hesser in the New York Times for “Lemon Chicken.” It was an unassuming recipe with a nursery-school simple ingredient list. The only item throwing me for a loop was crème Fraiche. I knew not what it was, but was willing to give it a shot…..

Several years later, this blog serves as evidence of my instant infatuation and long-time love affair with crème Fraiche. It is a rare ingredient that lends itself so effortlessly to both sophistication and succor – it is as befitting fine china with company as it is a solitary evening, curled up on the couch.

Click here for a printable version of the recipe

Lemon Crème Chicken, Serves 4

Adapted from Amanda Hesser for The New York Times

Prep Time: 25 minutes

Baking Time: 20 minutes

Total Prep Time: 45 minutes

Ingredients:

1 Tbls. Butter

2 Tbls. Olive Oil

4 Whole Chicken Legs

2-3 Tsp. Kosher Salt

2 Tsp. Pepper

1 Lemon

½ Cup Crème Fraiche

Preparation:

Preheat the oven to 350°.

Grate the zest of the lemon. Juice the lemon. Set the zest and juice aside.

In a large, oven-proof skillet, heat the butter and olive oil over medium heat for 3-5 minutes.

Season the chicken legs well with the salt and pepper. Cook the chicken legs in the skillet for 5-7 minutes each side, until the skin is nicely crisped and brown.

Transfer the skillet to the oven and cook for 20 minutes.

Being very careful, remove the skillet from the oven, transfer the chicken to a plate, and cover the chicken with aluminum foil to keep warm.

Dispose of all but 1 Tbls. of the pan drippings remaining in the skillet. Return the skillet to the stove top over medium heat. Add the lemon juice to the pan and mix well to scrape in the pan drippings that have stuck to the pan. Add the lemon zest. Add the Crème Fraiche; once it has melted into the sauce, continue to cook for another 3-5 minutes.

Plate the chicken, pour the lemon crème sauce over it and serve. Enjoy!

Ricotta Stuffed Chicken with Grapefruit and Spinach

Jessica — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 13:00:50 +0000

I know what you’re thinking…. that picture above is NOT a Week-night meal, but bear with me….

This ricotta-stuffed chicken takes about 1 hour from grocery bag to dinner table, and half of that time it’s in the oven, while you can unwind from the day, grab a glass of wine, surf Facebook, or do any of the other rituals that cue the end of the work day, and that are so essential for our nightly relaxation.

For me, I would typically come home from work and begin the dish almost as soon as I walked in the door; once in the oven, I would go take a nice hot shower to relax, and by the time I got out, the chicken was just about ready to come out of the oven. It was perfect.

And more than just an easy and quick mid-week meal, this dish is utterly indulgent; the chicken is perfectly tender, the ricotta, wine & garlic make it feel much more sophisticated than its 10 minutes of prep time deserve, and broiling it at the end makes the skin crispy and golden.

Week-night meals don’t have to be just stir-fry, pour-from-a-bag, nukeable re-fueling exercises; with an extra 15 minutes, they can be self-indulgent, delicious, homemade meals that you crave, like this Ricotta Stuffed Chicken with Grapefruit & Spinach.

Enjoy!

Click here for a printed version of the recipe

Ricotta Stuffed Chicken with Grapefruit & Spinach, Serves 4

Adapted from Pan-Roasted Guinea Fowl with Pomegranates & Spinach in Happy Days with the Naked Chef

Ingredients:

2 lbs. Chicken, cut up into pieces

1 Cup Ricotta Cheese

2 Tbls. Thyme, chopped

1 Tsp. Pepper

1 tsp. Salt

2 Tbls. Olive Oil

2 Tbls. Butter

5 Tbls. Garlic, chopped

2/3 Cup White Wine

1 Grapefruit, skinned and rough chopped

2 Cups Baby Spinach Leaves

Preparation:

Mix the ricotta cheese, 2 tsp. of the chopped garlic, and salt & pepper in a bowl and combine thoroughly.

Slip two fingers between the skin and meat of each of the pieces of chicken to make a space large enough to insert 2 tsps. of ricotta mixture. Stuff the 2 tsps. of ricotta into each chicken piece and pull the skin down to lightly seal it in.

Place the oven rack at the top of the oven, and preheat to 425°.

Heat the olive oil in a oven-proof saute pan over medium heat. Season the chicken pieces with salt and pepper. Pan roast the chicken pieces, with the exception of the breast, for 5 minutes, ricotta-stuffed side up. Add the butter, remaining garlic, wine, and the breast to the pan and roast, uncovered, in the oven for 25 minutes.

Set the oven to broil and remove the pan from the oven, add the grapefruit, and return to the oven for 5 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven, return to the stove top on medium heat, and add the spinach until it wilts.

Plate the pieces of chicken, pour the pan sauce over, and serve.