Braised Chicken With Grapes Cream And Verjus Recipes

BRAISED CHICKEN LEGS WITH GRAPES AND FENNEL

Steps:

• Place a rack in middle of oven; preheat to 375°F. Season chicken legs all over with 3 tsp. salt.
• Swirl 1 Tbsp. oil in a large Dutch oven or other heavy pot to coat and heat over medium-high. Place 2 chicken legs, skin side down, in pot, making sure skin is in direct contact with pan. Cook, undisturbed, until dark golden, about 5 minutes. Turn over and cook until golden on other side, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a large plate. Repeat with remaining 2 chicken legs; reserve pot.
• Meanwhile, working one at a time, stand a bulb, root end down, on a cutting board and slice off a short end to create a flat surface. Turn cut side down and slice ½" thick, starting from the top end of bulb so the root end can hold the layers in place while you slice. Discard last ¼" (root end) of each bulb and pop out and discard tougher center from slices. Transfer fennel to a large bowl and add half of the grapes, ½ tsp. salt, and remaining 1 Tbsp. oil; toss to coat. Set aside.
• Reduce heat to medium and combine broth, honey, chile paste, and remaining 1 tsp. salt in reserved pot. Stir to combine and dissolve salt. Place remaining grapes in pot and arrange chicken legs, skin side up and overlapping if needed, over grapes. Top with dressed fennel and grapes. (Don't worry if it looks crowded: Fennel will soften as it cooks.)
• Transfer pot, uncovered, to oven and roast until fennel is slightly softened, with some crispy, caramelized edges, grapes on top are swollen and browned in spots, and chicken is cooked through, 30-40 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes.
• Using a slotted spoon or tongs, transfer grapes and fennel to a bowl and chicken to a platter. Place pot over medium-high heat and bring braising liquid to a simmer. Cook until reduced by half (you should have about 1 cup liquid), 8-10 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in vinegar and fennel fronds.
• Spoon sauce over chicken and serve with fennel and grapes alongside.

POULET AU VERJUS - CHICKEN WITH VERJUS

Steps:

• First, make verjus:.
• Pull the grapes away from their stems, then press them, extracting as much of the juice as possible. Filter this juice through muslin, a jelly bag, or use coffee filter paper. Bottle this and sterilize it, or freeze some in ice cube trays. Or use it up within the next few days.
• Brown the chicken cut in pieces for a good ten minutes.
• Add the chopped garlic and cook briefly.
• Pour in a large glass of verjus, and some chicken stock made with 1/2 cube 1/2 cup of hot water.
• Add the chopped parsley.
• Cook over low heat for 20 minutes, partially covered until towards the end, when you take the cover off.
• Use more verjus, if you want. It is a pleasant, fruity taste with a tart, vinegary quality.
• Serve with mashed potatoes or Sarlat Potatoes, recipe#209855, fresh green beans, or other summer fare.

BRAISED CHICKEN WITH GRAPES, CREAM AND VERJUS

Steps:

• Season the chicken pieces evenly on all sides with the salt and pepper.
• In a large Dutch oven, melt 2 tablespoons of the butter with the oil over medium-high heat. Add the chicken, onions and garlic cloves and cook until the chicken is well browned, turning once, about 6 to 7 minutes per side.
• Add the verjus and stir to loosen any browned bits on the bottom of the pan.
• Add the grapes and olives, cover the pot and reduce the heat to medium.
• Cook until the chicken is tender, about 25 minutes. Transfer the chicken pieces to a warmed platter and cover to keep warm.
• Add the chicken stock to the pot and bring to a boil, scraping any browned bits that cling to the sides or bottom of the pan and cook until the sauce is reduced by 1/2 in volume, about 10 minutes.
• Reduce the heat to low. Add the remaining butter, a piece at a time, whisking constantly until all the butter has been added and the sauce is smooth and thick. Do not allow the sauce to boil and remove from the heat as necessary to prevent from breaking.
• Add the creme fraiche and whisk to combine. Adjust the seasoning, to taste.
• Ladle the sauce over the chicken and garnish with the parsley.

CHICKEN BRAISED WITH GRAPES

Steps:

• Pat chicken parts dry. Melt butter in a 4-quart casserole. Brown chicken on both sides, a few pieces at a time, over medium-high heat, removing pieces to a platter as they finish. Season with salt and pepper. Reduce heat to medium.
• Add onion and garlic and cook, stirring, a couple of minutes until soft. Stir in sherry vinegar, chicken stock and cardamom. Return chicken to the pot and baste with stock mixture. Place grape bunches in pot, add thyme, cover and reduce heat to very low. Let cook 30 minutes. Chicken juices should run clear when thigh or leg is pierced with the tip of a knife.
• Transfer chicken to a warm serving platter and arrange grape clusters on top and around chicken. Tent with foil to keep warm. Heat pot on high, stir in balsamic vinegar and cook 2 to 3 minutes until sauce is somewhat reduced and thickened. Check seasoning. Discard thyme. Spoon sauce over chicken and grapes, and serve.

HERBED CHICKEN WITH GRAPES

Steps:

• Reserve ½ cup of the broth.
• Bring the remainder of the broth and the lemon pepper to a boil.
• Place couscous in a large bowl and pour the boiling broth over it; cover and let stand for 5 minutes.
• Meanwhile, gently flatten chicken to uniform thickness.
• In a large skillet, cook the chicken in oil until cooked through (about 4 minutes per side) and then remove the chicken.
• Combine reserved ½ cup broth, wine, cornstarch, thyme and basil, and whisk or stir to dissolve the cornstarch.
• Pour the mixture into skillet and cook, stirring constantly, until thickened.
• Return the chicken to the skillet and add the grapes.
• Heat.
• Fluff couscous with a fork.
• Serve chicken over couscous, and garnish with almonds.

PAN-BRAISED CHICKEN WITH VEGETABLES IN BALSAMIC-CREAM SAUCE

Steps:

• Spread chicken thighs on a clean work surface. Pat dry with paper towels and season both sides with salt and pepper. Sprinkle 1/2 of the Italian seasoning all over them.
• Heat oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken thighs and brown for 3 minutes per side. Remove chicken to a plate and keep warm.
• Add onions to the same skillet and stir up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onions just start to become tender, 3 to 5 minutes. Add mushrooms and cook until they begin to soften, about 4 minutes. Stir in garlic and remaining Italian seasoning. Taste and adjust salt and pepper. Cook and stir for 1 minute.
• Add chicken broth and return chicken thighs to the skillet. Reduce heat to low, cover, and cook until chicken juices run clear, about 15 minutes. An instant-read thermometer should read 165 degrees F (74 degrees C). Remove chicken to a cutting board and cut into bite-sized pieces.
• Return chicken to the skillet and increase heat to medium. Add tomatoes and spinach. Cook and stir until tomatoes are heated through and spinach is tender, but still bright green, about 3 minutes.
• Stir in 1/2 cup heavy cream and balsamic vinegar; bring to a gentle boil. Cook and stir for 3 minutes. If you prefer a creamier sauce, add more cream. Serve with shaved Parmesan cheese.