Chicken Marengo

Ingredients

2 to 4 tablespoons olive oil
8 to 10 medium bone-in chicken thighs (3 pounds total)
1 teaspoon fine salt, divided, plus more to taste
1 pound white button mushrooms, thickly sliced (about 2 cups)
2 shallots, minced
4 large cloves garlic, minced or finely grated
1 cup dry white wine, such as sauvignon blanc
1/2 cup brandy
One (28-ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes
2 large bay leaves
3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste

Croutons

Chicken drippings
Loaf of crusty rustic bread (1 pound), torn into 1-inch pieces
3/4 teaspoon fine salt, plus more to taste
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste
2 tablespoons olive oil

Method

1. Sear the chicken and make the sauce: In a large, deep sauté pan or cast iron skillet over medium heat, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil until it shimmers. Season half of the chicken thighs with 1/ 4 teaspoon salt and cook, skin side down, until the skin is crisp and golden brown, 8 to 10 minutes. The chicken will splatter, so use a screen if you have one.
2. Carefully turn the thighs over; cook until browned, another 2 to 3 minutes; then transfer to a plate. Repeat with the remaining chicken. Transfer the chicken to a plate and cover to keep warm. Pour the rendered chicken fat into a large, heatproof bowl, leaving a small amount in the pan.
3. Place one oven rack in the lowest position and another in the middle, and preheat to 375 degrees. Scatter the mushrooms across the bottom of a 9-by-13-inch baking dish and set aside.
4. Return the sauté pan to medium heat, and add the shallots, the garlic and a pinch of salt. Cook, stirring and adding more oil, if needed, until golden, about 2 minutes. Pour in the wine, scraping up any brown bits on the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon, then add the brandy, tomatoes, bay leaves, the remaining 1/ 2 teaspoon salt and the pepper. Increase the heat to high and stir gently, breaking the tomatoes into large pieces by pressing them with a wooden spoon. When the sauce comes to a boil, decrease the heat to medium-low and simmer, uncovered, until reduced by half, 5 to 7 minutes.
5. Make the croutons. While the sauce is simmering, in the bowl with the chicken fat, toss the bread, salt and pepper until coated, adding 1 to 2 tablespoons of oil, as needed. Taste, and season with more salt and/or pepper, as desired, then spread out on a large, rimmed baking sheet.
6. Return to the chicken and sauce: Once the sauce has reduced by half, pour it over the reserved mushrooms. Nestle the chicken pieces in the pan, moving the mushrooms around (or on top of) the chicken as necessary.
7. Slide the chicken onto the bottom rack of the oven; set the crouton sheet pan on the middle rack. Toast the croutons for 15 to 17 minutes, stirring halfway, until golden brown. Cook the chicken undisturbed for 25 to 30 minutes total, or until the meat is tender and the sauce is bubbling. (An instant-read thermometer should read at least 165°F when inserted into the thickest part of the chicken.)
8. Serve the chicken on top of the croutons, generously ladling sauce on top for the bread to soak up, and serve hot.

Makes 4 to 8 servings.

Source: The Winnipeg Free Press

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Spring Chicken Ragout

Ingredients

2 whole chicken breasts ( 1-3/4 pounds), bone in, split and skinned
salt and freshly ground pepper
2 teaspoons olive oil
1-3/4 cups homemade or low-sodium canned chicken stock
4 canned plum tomatoes, seeded and quartered
12 baby carrots, peeled and trimmed
1/2 pound asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1-1/2-inch pieces
1 leek (about 6 ounces), well cleaned and cut into 1/4-inch rounds
1 cup shelled peas, preferably fresh
flat-leaf parsley, for garnish (optional

Method

1. Season chicken breasts with salt and pepper.
2. Heat olive oil in a large skillet, add chicken, and cook over medium-high heat until golden brown on both sides, about 7 minutes total.
3. Add stock and tomatoes, bring to a boil, and cover. Cook on medium-low heat for about 20 minutes, then remove the chicken and set aside.
4. Add carrots to skillet and cook, covered, until almost tender, about 5 minutes.
5. Add asparagus, leeks, and peas and cook until all the vegetables are tender, about 5 more minutes.
6. Pull chicken meat from bone and shred into large bite-size pieces.
7. Return chicken to the skillet and cook until heated through, about 2 minutes.
8. Serve over egg noodles and garnish with sprigs of parsley, if desired.

Makes 4 servings.

Source: What to Have for Dinner

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Chopped Liver Toast with Aleppo Paste and Caramelized Onion

Ingredients

2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 large yellow onion, halved and thinly sliced
1-1/2 teaspoons kosher (coarse) salt
1 pound chicken livers, trimmed of extra fat and patted dry
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1-1/2 tablespoons ground cumin
2 tablespoons Aleppo chili paste (or harissa paste)
juice of 1 lemon
4 (3/4-inch thick) slices Pullman loaf
unsalted butter, softened, for the bread
2 radishes, thinly sliced
baby lettuce leaves
1 hard-boiled egg, peeled and thinly sliced

Method

1. Make the chicken livers. In a large skillet (frying pan), melt 1 tablespoon of the butter over medium-high heat. Add 1 tablespoon of the oil and heat together for 1 minute. Add the onion and 1/4 teaspoon of the salt and cook, stirring often, until the onion softens, 3-4 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is very dark brown, 15-20 minutes longer. Transfer the onion to a medium bowl.
2. Season the chicken livers with 1/4 teaspoon of the salt and the pepper. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon each butter and oil to the skillet and set it over high heat. Once the butter is melted, add the chicken livers and cook, stirring occasionally, until the exterior of the liver turns opaque, 4-5 minutes.
3. Sprinkle the liver with the cumin, stir, then add the chili paste and lemon juice. Cook until the livers are just pink in the middle (not red or bloody), 2-3 minutes longer.
4. Stir in the onion and mix to combine. Transfer the liver-onion mixture to the bowl, cover, and refrigerate until well chilled, at least 2 hours.
5. Turn the chilled liver and onions onto a cutting (chopping) board and roughly chop to combine. Return the mixture to the bowl and stir in the remaining 1 teaspoon salt.
6. Make the toast. Toast the bread. Spoon some chopped liver on top of each toast. Finish with lettuce leaves, a few radish slices, and egg slices.

Makes 4 servings.

Source: Toast – The Cookbook

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The Ultimate Fried Chicken

Ingredients

2 kg bone-in skin-on chicken thighs, drumsticks, wings and/or breasts
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup potato starch
2 tbsp each garlic powder and onion powder
1 tbsp dry mustard
2 tsp sweet paprika
1-1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
vegetable oil for deep-frying

Buttermilk Marinade

2 cups buttermilk
1-1/2 tsp dry mustard
1 tsp each garlic powder and onion powder
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp each sweet paprika and pepper
1/4 tsp poultry seasoning
pinch cayenne pepper

Method

1. Make the marinade. In bowl, whisk together buttermilk, mustard, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, paprika, pepper, poultry seasoning and cayenne pepper.
2. Arrange chicken in single layer in large baking dish. Pour marinade over chicken, turning to coat. Cover and refrigerate for 4 hours.
3. In large bowl, whisk together flour, potato starch, garlic powder, onion powder, mustard, paprika, salt and pepper.
   Pour enough oil into large deep skillet or Dutch oven to come 3 inches (8 cm) up side. Heat until deep-fryer thermometer reads 300°F (150°C).

4. While oil is heating, remove chicken from buttermilk mixture, letting excess drip back into bowl. Reserve remaining marinade. Pat chicken dry with paper towels. Dredge chicken in flour mixture, tapping off excess. Dip in reserved marinade, letting excess drip off. Dredge again in flour mixture, tapping off excess.
5. Working in batches, fry chicken, turning occasionally, until instant-read thermometer inserted into thickest part of several pieces reads 165°F (74°C), 10 to 15 minutes per batch. Drain on rack over paper towel-lined baking sheet; let stand for 5 minutes before serving.

Makes 12 to 16 pieces.

Source: The Complete Chicken Cookbook

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Roasted Chicken Thighs with Leeks and Lemons

Ingredients

3 tablespoons olive oil
3 large leeks (1-1/4 pounds total), cleaned, trimmed and sliced into 3/4-inch-thick rounds
1 large lemon, sliced into thin rounds, seeds picked out
4 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (1-1/2 pounds total)
fine salt
freshly cracked black pepper
crusty bread, for serving

Method

1. Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 425°F.
2. Pour the oil into a 9-by-13-inch pan, add the leeks and lemon, and gently toss to coat.
3. Pat the thighs dry and lightly season both sides with salt and pepper. Gently loosen the skin to let a little air in — this will help it get crispy as it roasts.
4. Place the chicken thighs, skin-side up and evenly spaced, atop the leeks and lemons.
5. Roast for 35 minutes, or until a thermometer inserted in the thickest part of a thigh registers 160-165 F. Let rest for at least 5 minutes; then serve with crusty bread.

Makes 2 to 4 servings.

Source: The Winnipeg Free Press

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