Sweet • Sour • Savory

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Simmer Food

Braised Balsamic Chicken

Dinner, Meats, Poultry, Simmer FoodTove Balle-Pedersen1 Comment
Braised Balsamic Chicken

Braised Balsamic Chicken

Our local pizzeria serves a rotisserie chicken with a balsamic sauce and a lot of bell peppers. I love this dish, and it is my go-to for days when I don’t cook. The dish is sweet and sour in the Italian way.

In my version the chicken is braised in the sauce to keep the chicken juicy, and for a one-pot-dinner, easy to make on a weeknight.

You can also make this dish in a slow cooker, cooking for about 3-4 hours on high heat.

Serves 4

Ingredients:

  • 4 chicken thighs with drumsticks (without skin)
  • 1 can crushed tomatoes 
  • 1 onion, halved and sliced 
  • 3 bell peppers 
  • ½ cup (1,25 dl) red balsamic vinegar (use a good quality)
  • 3 tablespoons brown sugar
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced 
  • 1 teaspoon basil
  • 1 teaspoon oregano
  • 1 teaspoon thyme
  • salt & pepper
  • olive oil for searing

Directions:

Season chicken with salt and ground black pepper. Heat olive oil in a dutch oven or in a skillet, and sear the chicken. Take out the chicken. Pour in tomatoes, sugar and the seasoning, add the chicken, onion, garlic and bell peppers. Pour the balsamic over the chicken. Put the lid on and let simmer until chicken is no longer pink and the juices run clear, about 45 minutes. 

Serve with roasted potatoes and broccoli.

 

 

Chicken Braised in White Wine (Coq a Vin Blanc)

Dinner, Poultry, Simmer Food, food, recipeTove Balle-PedersenComment
Chicken Braised in White Wine (Coq a Vin Blanc)

Chicken Braised in White Wine (Coq a Vin Blanc)

I really love the regular coq au vin. The first dinner i ever made for my husband  when I first met him, was coq au vin. Little did I know, that he didn't like wine. Well I didn't scare him off completely and now I learned him to drink wine. I must be a bad influence...

Normally I'll make coq au vin with red wine, but at a cooking class at Sur La Table we learned to make it with white wine, and it was so delicious, the perfect simmer food.

Ingredients:

  • 200 g thick-cut bacon, cut into cubes
  • canola oil, as needed
  • salt & freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 good sized chicken for roasting (4 to 5 pound), cut into 8 serving pieces 
  • 1 large onion, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces 
  • 2 large carrots, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces 
  • 2 large celery ribs, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces 
  • 1 leek, trimmed, white and light green parts only, cut into 1-inch pieces 
  • 3 tablespoon tomato paste
  • 1 head garlic, halved 
  • cup  (30 g) all-purpose flour
  • 1 bottle full-bodied dry white wine, such as white Burgundy.*
  • 2 teaspoons chicken paste
  • 500 ml water
  • 4 sprigs fresh thyme 
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 2 teaspoon cracked black peppercorns
  • 3 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves, for garnish

Gremolata:

  • handfull Italian parsley
  • 2-3 lemons, the zest of
  • 3 garlic cloves

 

 

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and place a rack in the bottom third. 

Place bacon in a large Dutch oven and heat over medium heat. Cook bacon until crispy and fat has rendered, about 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer bacon to a paper towel-lined plate, leaving some of the fat in the Dutch oven. 

Season the chicken pieces generously on all sides with salt and pepper. Place chicken in the Dutch oven and sear to a deep brown on all sides, about 8 to 10 minutes, working in batches as needed. Transfer chicken to a rimmed baking sheet. 

Add onion, carrot, celery, and leek to Dutch oven and cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are browned, about 8 to 10 minutes. Add tomato paste and garlic and cook, stirring often, until tomato paste turns a deeper red, another 1 to 2 minutes. Sprinkle flour over vegetable mixture and cook, stirring to incorporate, about 1 to 2 minutes. Add wine to Dutch oven and, using a wooden spoon, scrape the bottom of the pan to release any browned bits. Cook until wine mixture begins to thicken, about 4 to 5 minutes. 

Return chicken to Dutch oven along with any juices from the baking sheet and add chicken base and enough water to barely cover the chicken. Add thyme, bay leaves and peppercorns, stirring to combine. Cover the Dutch oven and place in the preheated oven. Braise the chicken until fork-tender, about 50 to 60 minutes. 

Remove Dutch oven from oven and, using tongs, carefully transfer the chicken to a rimmed baking sheet. Cover loosely with foil to keep warm. 

Discard the thyme sprigs and the bay leave. Place dutch oven over high heat and cook braising liquid until reduced and thickened, about 10 to 12 minutes, skimming the surface for excess fat. Taste and season with salt and pepper as needed. 

Serve family style with gremolata, mashed potatoes or vegetables.

Serve immediately.

 

Gremolata:

Rinse the parsley, zest the lemons and peel the garlic cloves. Finely chop the ingredients together. I use the mini chopper that came with my Immersion Blender. 

 

* Don't use a oaked wine, since oakey wine can turn bitter when reduced.