Chicken Grand Mere Francine Recipes

POULET DE GRAND-MERE

Steps:

• For the chicken: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Sprinkle the chicken breasts with salt. In a large saute pan, heat enough clarified butter to coat the pan over medium-high heat. Add half the thyme and continue to heat. Place 2 of the chicken breasts in the pan skin-side down and sear until golden brown, basting the flesh side with fat from the pan. Flip the breasts, brown on the other side and baste. Transfer the chicken to a baking sheet. Cook the other 2 breasts in the same manner, adding in the remaining thyme sprigs.
• Place the baking sheet with the seared breasts in the oven and bake until the chicken is firm to the touch, 7 to 8 minutes. Allow to rest before slicing.
• For the just: While the chicken is in the oven, pour off any excess fat in the saute pan and place over medium-high heat. Add enough clarified butter to coat the bottom of the pan and add the bacon lardons. Cook until crispy, and then remove to a plate and reserve. Remove any excess fat from the pan if necessary. Add in the onions and sweat until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. Increase the heat, add in the mushrooms and season with salt. Cook the mushrooms until golden brown on all sides, 3 to 5 minutes.
• Add in the white wine and scrap up all the brown bits that have collected on the bottom of the pan. Cook down until the wine has reduced by half. Add in half of the chicken stock and let simmer about 5 minutes. Add in the remaining chicken stock and reduce until slightly thickened Remove from the heat and swirl in the butter. Taste and season if necessary.
• Serve the sliced chicken with the jus and garnish with chopped parsley.

CHICKEN GRAND-MERE

Steps:

• Pat chicken dry; sprinkle with salt and pepper.
• Heat 1 T. butter and the oil in Dutch oven or deep 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Add several pieces chicken and brown on all sides, about 10 minutes. Transfer chicken to platter and repeat with remaining pieces.
• Reduce heat to medium; add onion, garlic, and thyme. Saute until onion is softened, about 5 minutes. Pour off all but 1 T. fat. Carefully pour Cognac into pan and scrape bottom of pan to loosen browned bits. Return chicken to pan, placing breasts on top. Pour in wine and broth and heat to boiling. Reduce heat to low and simmer covered until chicken is tender, 30-40 minutes.
• Transfer chicken to warmed serving platter; cover with foil and keep warm. Cook sauce over medium-high heat until reduced by almost half, 12-15 minutes.
• Meanwhile, fry bacon in separate large skillet over medium heat, until golden, about 8 minutes.
• While bacon is cooking, cut potatoes into 3/4-inch dice and add to bacon in skillet. Fry, stirring frequently, until golden, 5-7 minutes. Using slotted spoon, remove bacon and potatoes to bowl.
• Add mushrooms to skillet. Cook, stirring occasionally, until golden, 3-4 minutes. Add mushrooms to potatoes.
• Spoon off fat from sauce. Add mushrooms, potatoes, and bacon and stir to coat. Reduce heat to low and simmer until hot, 1-2 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in half the parsley and the remaining 2 T. butter. Taste and adjust seasonings. Pour sauce over chicken. Sprinkle with remaining parsley and serve hot.

CHICKEN FRANCESE

Steps:

• In a wide, shallow bowl, whisk eggs, milk, salt and pepper until blended. Place the flour in a separate bowl. Line a baking sheet with paper towels.
• In a wide skillet, heat olive and vegetable oils over medium heat until shimmering.
• Working in batches to avoid crowding the pan, lightly dredge the chicken in flour and shake off any excess. Dip into egg batter, let excess batter drip back into the bowl and place in the skillet. Fry, turning once, until golden brown on both sides, about 4 minutes per side. Adjust the heat as the cutlets cook so they brown slowly and evenly, with a steady bubbling. Transfer to the paper-towel-lined pan and repeat with remaining cutlets.
• When all cutlets are browned, remove the pan from the heat and pour off the oil. Wipe out the pan with paper towels. Return the pan to low heat.
• If making the lemon slices (if not, skip to Step 6 below): Melt 3 tablespoons of the butter and then scatter the lemon slices over the bottom of the pan. Cook, stirring gently occasionally, until the lemon slices are golden and browning around the edges, about 3 minutes. Scoop out the lemon slices and set them aside.
• Add 3 tablespoons of butter, the wine and lemon juice and bring to a boil. Boil until the liquid is syrupy, 3 to 4 minutes. Pour in the stock, bring to a boil and cook until thickened into a sauce, about 5 minutes. (It will thicken more when you add the cutlets.) Taste and adjust the seasonings with lemon, salt and pepper; it should be quite lemony and not too salty.
• Reduce the heat, tuck the cutlets into the pan and simmer very gently until the sauce is velvety and the chicken pieces are heated through, about 4 minutes. Turn the cutlets over occasionally in the sauce. Place the browned lemon slices on top. Sprinkle with chopped parsley and serve, spooning some of the sauce over each serving.

CHICKEN GRAND-MERE FRANCINE

Steps:

• 1. Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 375°F. 2. Working over medium-high heat, warm the olive oil in a 12-inch ovenproof sauté pan or skillet - choose one with high-sides and a cover. Season the chicken pieces all over with salt and pepper, slip them into the pan, and cook until they are well browned on all sides, about 10 to 15 minutes. Take your time - you want a nice, deep color and you also want to cook the chickens three-quarters through at this point. When the chicken is deeply golden, transfer it to a platter and keep it in a warm place while you work on the vegetables. 3. Pour off all but 2 tablespoons of the cooking fat from the pan. Lower the heat to medium, add the butter, the onions, shallots, garlic and thyme and cook and stir just until the vegetables start to take on a little color, about 3 minutes. Add the potatoes, celery root, and bacon and cook 1 to 2 minutes, just to start rendering the bacon fat. Cover the pan and cook another 10 minutes, stirring every 2 minutes. 4. Add the mushrooms, season with salt and pepper and return the chicken to the pan. Add the chicken stock, bring to the boil, and slide the pan into the oven. Bake, uncovered, for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through. Spoon everything onto a warm serving platter or into an attractive casserole. To Serve: Bring the chicken to the table, with plenty of pieces of crusty baguette to sop up the sauce and spread with the soft, caramely garlic that is easily squeezed out of its skin.