Chicken With Port And Raisins Recipes

ROAST CHICKEN BREAST WITH ZIBIBBO RAISINS AND PEARL COUSCOUS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• To prepare the chicken: Season the chicken with salt and pepper. In a saute pan, heat olive oil and sear skin side down until golden in color, about 3 minutes. Turn and saute another 3 minutes. Transfer pan to oven and roast for 15 to 20 minutes or until done. Remove the chicken from the pan and keep warm.
• Remove fat from pan. Add fennel, sage sprig, lemon zest, lemon juice, and raisins and deglaze with 1 cup of white wine and 1/2 cup sweet wine. Over high heat, reduce by half. Add brown chicken stock and cream. Reduce until slightly thickened. Remove sage and finish sauce with butter and grapes.
• To prepare the couscous: In a saucepan, heat olive oil. Add onions and cook for 1 minute, until glossy (do not brown). Add pearl couscous and stir until well coated with oil. Season with salt and add 1 cup of chicken stock. Stir occasionally until 2/3 of the liquid is absorbed. Add the remaining cup of stock, and continue to cook until al dente. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt, stir in butter, and finish with parsley. Set aside and keep warm.
• To serve: Place a few tablespoons of couscous in the center of a plate. Slice each chicken breast diagonally into 2 pieces. Arrange on top of couscous. Nap with sauce and sprinkle with sage leaves. Serve immediately.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• Spread the bones and onion slices in a roasting pan and set in the oven. Turn the bones to brown all sides until they are a deep golden brown, about 30 minutes. Do not allow them to burn, since that will give the stock a bitter taste.
• Transfer the bones and onion to a stockpot, and place the roasting pan on the stove. Over medium high heat, deglaze the pan with 2 cups of water, scraping up all the bits stuck to the bottom of the pan. Pour into the stockpot and add 3 quarts of water. Bring to a boil, lower heat, and simmer for 3 hours.
• Strain into a clean stockpot and boil for 20 to 30 minutes, until the stock is reduced to 2 cups. At this point, the stock is more concentrated and more flavorful. Strain into a clean bowl and cool.
• Since brown stock is primarily a base for sauces and only a small amount is used, pour the cooled stock into an ice-cube tray. When completely solid, release the cubes, enclose in a plastic bag, and return to the freezer. When needed, one or two cubes can be defrosted and used in a recipe.
• Yield: about 2 cups
• Recipe courtesy Wolfgang Puck, "Pizza, Pasta & More!," Random House, 2000 .

CHICKEN BREAST IN A PORT AND RAISIN SAUCE

Steps:

• Soak the raisins in the port wine at least 1 hour or, preferably, overnight. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a saute pan, heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. When hot, saute the chicken breasts on one side until golden brown. Turn the chicken over and transfer to an ovenproof dish. Bake for 10 minutes. In the meantime, in the saute pan, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil. Add the shallots and sweat them for 2 minutes. Add the mushrooms and saute them for 2 minutes. Add the vinegar and reduce until almost dry. Stir in the raisins and their soaking liquid. Cook until the liquid is reduced by half. Add the cream or evaporated milk, nutmeg, and cornstarch mixture. Cook for 2 more minutes, but do not bring to a boil. Adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper. Spoon the sauce onto serving plates, set a chicken breast on top, and garnish with fresh herbs.

CHICKEN WITH RAISINS AND LEMON

Steps:

• Arrange chicken in single layer in large Dutch oven. Drizzle oil over. Tuck potatoes between chicken pieces. Sprinkle with garlic and turmeric. Season with salt and pepper. Lay lemon slices over. Sprinkle with raisins. Pour over enough broth barely to cover chicken. Bring to boil over high heat. Cover and boil 10 minutes. Uncover; reduce heat to medium and simmer until chicken is just cooked through and potatoes are tender, about 30 minutes. Transfer chicken and potatoes to platter. Tent with foil to keep warm. Add lemon juice to Dutch oven. Boil cooking liquid until thickened to light sauce consistency and reduced by half, about 7 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Spoon over chicken and serve.

CHICKEN WITH RAISINS

Steps:

• Place raisins in a bowl, add brandy and set aside to plump overnight or for at least 8 hours.
• Make the chicken: Dry chicken pieces. Heat oil in a sauté pan on medium-high, add chicken, skin side down, season with salt and pepper, and sear until golden brown, 6 to 8 minutes. Turn pieces and brown second side. Scatter shallots over chicken. Add verjus to the pan, cover, reduce heat to low and cook 15 to 20 minutes, basting chicken once, until chicken is cooked through.
• Remove chicken to a dish and cover to keep warm. Add raisins with their brandy to the pan, bring to a simmer for a couple of minutes, then add glace de viande and crème fraîche. Cook for several minutes, until the sauce thickens enough to coat a spoon.
• Return chicken to the pan, baste with the sauce, then transfer the contents of the pan to a warm, rimmed platter and serve.

SLOW-SIMMERED CHICKEN WITH RAISINS, CAPERS AND BASIL

Steps:

• In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium-high heat. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper; brown chicken on both sides in batches, adding oil as needed. Transfer chicken to a 5- or 6-qt. slow cooker., Add wine to the skillet, stirring to loosen browned bits; pour into slow cooker. Stir mushrooms, red pepper, onion, and tomatoes, raisins and capers into slow cooker., Cook, covered, on low until chicken and vegetables are tender, 4-5 hours. Sprinkle with basil before serving. Serve with couscous.