So the boyfriend and I have started a bit of a routine on the days he does to personal training sessions with his friends that I cook dinner for him. On the one hand, sometimes I have a bit of a self-conscious meltdown it's a little bit stressful because he's a really good cook and I have more luck with baking. On the other hand, because he's not in the kitchen, I can fumble around and not feel too anxious about it. And by the time he gets home here, it's mostly coming together and I can just ask one or two questions about doneness of meat, etc.
This wasn't my most impressive attempt, but it was good. He made a simple risotto to go with it. I picked this recipe because it is SK's go-to chicken recipe. He decided we should add the mustard earlier in the sauce process rather than later and try to let it thicken up a bit.
Since we were cooking together, I had to scale back the cooking photos. He's pretty nice about a final product picture, but I think he thinks I'm a little insane while I take a bunch of the process. Is he wrong? Is he right? Uh, maybe.
The sauce is on the thin side but can be thickened up by reducing the sauce over high heat for several minutes. This concentrates the flavors as well, and if you haven’t used a low-sodium broth, you might find the results a little salty. Just a word of warning.
3 pounds chicken parts (thighs, drumsticks, and/or breasts), with skin and bones [I used skinless, boneless breasts]
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 small shallots, thinly sliced
3/4 cup dry white wine
3/4 cup reduced-sodium or sodium-free chicken broth
1/4 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons smooth Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon finely chopped chives or the green parts of scallions
Preheat oven to 450°F with a rack in middle. Pat chicken dry and season generously with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Heat oil in an ovenproof 12-inch heavy skillet (if you’ve got a cast iron skillet, it is great here) over medium-high heat until it shimmers. Working in 2 batches, brown chicken, skin side down first and turning once, about 5 minutes per batch. I like to take a lot of care in this step, not moving the chicken until the skin releases itself and has a nice bronze on it, which will provide the best flavor and seal in the most juices.
Return all chicken, skin side up, to skillet and roast in oven until just cooked through, 15 to 20 minutes. Transfer chicken to a platter, then add shallots, wine, and broth to pan juices in skillet and boil, scraping up any brown bits, until reduced by half, 2 to 3 minutes. Add cream and boil until slightly thickened, about 1 minute. To thicken the sauce further, turn the heat to high and boil it until it reduces to a consistency you prefer.
Strain sauce through a sieve into a bowl, if you’re feeling fancy (I never am, but if you don’t, you might find some chicken bits scraped up from the pan in your sauce. We don’t mind.) Whisk in mustard, chives, and salt and pepper to taste. Serve chicken with sauce.
This wasn't my most impressive attempt, but it was good. He made a simple risotto to go with it. I picked this recipe because it is SK's go-to chicken recipe. He decided we should add the mustard earlier in the sauce process rather than later and try to let it thicken up a bit.
Since we were cooking together, I had to scale back the cooking photos. He's pretty nice about a final product picture, but I think he thinks I'm a little insane while I take a bunch of the process. Is he wrong? Is he right? Uh, maybe.
The sauce is on the thin side but can be thickened up by reducing the sauce over high heat for several minutes. This concentrates the flavors as well, and if you haven’t used a low-sodium broth, you might find the results a little salty. Just a word of warning.
3 pounds chicken parts (thighs, drumsticks, and/or breasts), with skin and bones [I used skinless, boneless breasts]
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 small shallots, thinly sliced
3/4 cup dry white wine
3/4 cup reduced-sodium or sodium-free chicken broth
1/4 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons smooth Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon finely chopped chives or the green parts of scallions
Preheat oven to 450°F with a rack in middle. Pat chicken dry and season generously with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Heat oil in an ovenproof 12-inch heavy skillet (if you’ve got a cast iron skillet, it is great here) over medium-high heat until it shimmers. Working in 2 batches, brown chicken, skin side down first and turning once, about 5 minutes per batch. I like to take a lot of care in this step, not moving the chicken until the skin releases itself and has a nice bronze on it, which will provide the best flavor and seal in the most juices.
Return all chicken, skin side up, to skillet and roast in oven until just cooked through, 15 to 20 minutes. Transfer chicken to a platter, then add shallots, wine, and broth to pan juices in skillet and boil, scraping up any brown bits, until reduced by half, 2 to 3 minutes. Add cream and boil until slightly thickened, about 1 minute. To thicken the sauce further, turn the heat to high and boil it until it reduces to a consistency you prefer.
Strain sauce through a sieve into a bowl, if you’re feeling fancy (I never am, but if you don’t, you might find some chicken bits scraped up from the pan in your sauce. We don’t mind.) Whisk in mustard, chives, and salt and pepper to taste. Serve chicken with sauce.
Well I love the photos you do post!! And it's hard to take pictures of food. But I'm sure when you take a lot, you get some really good ones. :)
ReplyDeleteI didn't get notifications of any comments and so I just saw these. Thank you :) The number of reject photos I have taken is silly just to get one or two that "works." And then I realize how silly it is for a picture of a cookie to work or not work. It's not a model!
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