Vineyard Chicken Recipes

CHICKEN IN WHITE WINE SAUCE

Steps:

• Pat dry the chicken pieces, then salt and pepper both sides of each piece of chicken.
• To a cast iron pan (or a dutch oven), add the chopped bacon. Cook until over medium heat until the bacon is crisp. Remove the bacon from the pan using a slotted spoon.
• Add a tablespoon of olive oil to the pan. Add the chicken to the pan, skin-side down first, cooking each side for about 4-5 minutes over medium heat or until the chicken is nicely browned and crisp. Remove the chicken from the pan.
• Add another tablespoon of oil to the pan along with the diced onion. Sauté over medium-low heat for a few minutes, until the onion is translucent and softened. Add the garlic slices and sauté for another 30 seconds. Pour in a splash of white wine (about 1 heaping tablespoon) so that you can deglaze the pan, using a wooden spoon to scrape up any bacon bits stuck to the pan.
• Add the chicken back into the pan, along with the sliced carrots, and about half a bottle of white wine. The wine should reach just up to the tops of the chicken pieces, but the chicken should not be fully submerged to the point that you can't see the top of the chicken. Place a lid on the pan and cook over medium-low heat for 35 minutes.
• Remove the lid from the pan and stir in the cream. Add a pinch of salt and pepper, then give the mixture a stir. Raise the heat to medium-high and let the mixture simmer and bubble away for another 10 minutes. Spoon the sauce over the chicken a couple of times as the sauce simmers for those 10 minutes. Taste test the sauce for salt, and add more if needed.
• Garnish the dish with fresh chopped parsley and serve with a side of crusty French bread.

CHICKEN IN WHITE WINE CREAM SAUCE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 180C/350F.
• Season chicken with salt and pepper. Heat oil in an ovenproof skillet (with lid) over high heat. Add chicken skin side down and cook until golden brown, then turn and cook the other side for 1 minute. Remove chicken from skillet. Drain excess fat from skillet (do not wipe).
• Reduce heat to medium high. Melt butter then add garlic and onion. Cook for 3 minutes until softened, then add bacon. Cook until golden.
• Add wine. Bring to simmer, scraping the bottom of the skillet to mix the brown bits into the liquid. Simmer for 2 minutes.
• Add chicken broth, thyme and return chicken to the skillet, skin side up. Cover with lid or foil, then transfer to the oven. Bake for 60 minutes, covered, then remove the lid and bake for a further 15 minutes to recrisp the skin. The chicken should be very tender.
• Remove chicken or move to side. Stir cream into sauce and season with salt and pepper to taste.
• Garnish with plenty of parsley. Serve with creamy mashed potatoes. Mine are pictured with Glazed Carrots.

WINE-BRAISED CHICKEN WITH MUSHROOMS AND LEEKS

Steps:

• Pat chicken dry with paper towels. Season all over with 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and the black pepper. Finely grate, pass through a press or mince 2 garlic cloves. Set aside half the grated garlic for finishing the dish. Rub the rest all over the chicken pieces. Set aside the chicken while preparing the other ingredients.
• In a Dutch oven over medium-high heat, combine 1 tablespoon oil and 1 tablespoon butter. When the butter melts, add chicken in batches and cook until browned on both sides, 4 to 6 minutes per side. If the pan dries out, add a little more oil as needed. Transfer browned chicken to a plate.
• Add remaining tablespoon each oil and butter to the pan. Once the butter melts, add mushrooms and cook undisturbed until well browned on one side, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir and cook for 1 minute longer.
• Thinly slice 2 garlic cloves. Reduce heat to medium, and stir in sliced garlic, leeks and a large pinch each of salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until leeks are tender and golden brown, 7 minutes. Add rosemary and wine to the pot and let simmer, scraping up the browned bits, until liquid reduces by half, about 1 minute.
• Nestle chicken, skin side up, into the pan and pour in any accumulated juices from the plate. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook, covered, until chicken is cooked through, 25 to 35 minutes.
• Transfer chicken to a serving platter and tent with foil to keep warm. Pluck the rosemary sprigs from the pot. If the sauce looks thin, turn the heat to medium-high and let simmer until it thickens slightly, 2 to 5 minutes. Stir in the remaining grated garlic, the crème fraîche, chives and lemon zest. Taste sauce and add more salt if needed. Spoon sauce over the chicken and top with parsley, more lemon zest and a dollop of crème fraîche, if you like, and serve.

VINEYARD GLAZED CHICKEN

Steps:

• Bring wine, sugar, shallot, garlic, rosemary, 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper to a boil in medium saucepan. Simmer over medium-low heat until thickened and reduced to about 3/4 cup, about 12 minutes. Let wine mixture cool completely.
• Pour wine mixture into a medium bowl. Add the chicken pieces, cover and marinate mixture for 1 hour.
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Cover the top insert of a 2 piece broiler pan with foil, place on bottom pan. Evenly space the chicken on the pan skin-side up, reserving marinade. Roast the chicken until cooked through about 40 minutes.
• Meanwhile, pour the reserved marinade into a small skillet and add the grapes. Bring mixture to a rolling boil, and cook until the grapes are tender, about 5 minutes. Baste the chicken with the grape mixture, including both the grapes and the liquid every 15 minutes until the chicken and grapes are glazed and the chicken is cooked through, about 40 minutes. Serve.

CHICKEN AND RED WINE SAUCE

Steps:

• Heat oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Cook garlic in oil until tender. Place chicken in the skillet, and cook about 10 minutes on each side, until no longer pink and juices run clear.
• Drain oil from skillet. Sprinkle chicken with paprika and 1 cup brown sugar. Pour red wine around chicken. Cover, and simmer about 15 to 20 minutes; lightly baste chicken with wine sauce while cooking. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

VINEYARD CHICKEN

Steps:

• Cut each chicken breast in half, lengthwise.
• Mix together salt, basil, sage, paprika, garlic powder, white pepper and flour.
• In a Ziploc bag, toss the mixture with the chicken strips.
• Save any excess seasoned flour.
• Heat oil and butter in skillet.
• Add chicken and cook both sides over moderately high heat until golden brown.
• Add garlic and sprinkle in any leftover seasoned flour from the Ziploc bag.
• Add broth, vinegar, and lemon juice.
• Cover and cook for 5 minutes.
• Uncover chicken and add grape halves to chicken in pan and simmer for 5 minutes longer or just until chicken is tender and juices run clear.
• Remove chicken and grapes to heated serving platter.
• Boil pan liquid for 1-2 minutes to reduce, then pour over chicken.
• Sprinkle with parsley and crumbled feta cheese.
• Makes 4 servings.

CHICKEN WITH VINEGAR

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Set a large ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Add oil; when it is hot, place chicken in the skillet, skin side down. Cook undisturbed for about 5 minutes, or until chicken is nicely browned. Turn and cook 3 minutes on the other side. Season with salt and pepper.
• Place skillet in the oven. Cook 15 to 20 minutes, or until almost done (juices will run clear, and there will be just a trace of pink near the bone). Remove chicken to an ovenproof platter. Place it in the oven; turn off the heat, and leave the door slightly ajar.
• Pour all but 2 tablespoons of the cooking juices out of the skillet (discard them). Place skillet over medium-high heat, and add shallots; sprinkle them with a little salt and pepper, and cook, stirring, until tender, about 2 minutes. Add vinegar, and raise the heat to high. Cook a minute or two, or until the powerful acrid smell has subsided somewhat. Add 1/2 cup water, and cook for another 2 minutes, stirring, until the mixture is slightly reduced and somewhat thickened. Stir in butter, if desired.
• Return the chicken and any accumulated juices to the skillet, and turn the chicken in the sauce. Serve immediately.

VINEYARD BAKED CHICKEN

Steps:

• Place chicken pieces in shallow pan, skin side down.
• Blend remaining ingredients and pour over chicken.
• Bake at 375 for 30 minutes.
• Turn chicken skin side up and bake an additional 30 minutes at 450.