Fri, 29th Aug 2008

Chicken Chasseur

Saw a recipe in one of my old cookbooks,

and here is my adaptation.

This is a great dish for a dinner party as you can cook it hours/or a day in advance and there are no last minute preparations to stress you out. The sauce is extremely rich and tasty with tons of hidden vegetables.

1. Wash chicken drumsticks and thighs and trim off excess fat. Season lightly with salt & black pepper and brown on high heat.

2. Keep aside. In same pan, brown chopped bacon & onions, add diced carrots and mushrooms. Add some butter, and 2 tablespoons of flour and stir till mixture is thick and brown. Add dried parsley and tarragon.

3. Add half a tin of chopped tomatoes, some Bisto chicken gravy granules and 2 cups of water. Simmer gently until tomatoes are meltingly soft and liquid is thickened, adjust seasoning.

4. Lastly add browned chicken pieces and simmer until chicken is tender. Serve with mashed potatoes, pasta or rice.

p.s Somewhere between no. 3 and no. 4, I realised that I had forgotten the white wine, so I reduced about a cup of Riesling with garlic to about 3 tablespoons and added the reduction to the sauce.

Wm & PT had beef rendang made from an instant mix (Brahim's) and pandan Bario rice. The rendang was made with rump steak and hey, for a packet mix, it was pretty good. If you are rushed for time or simply can't be bothered to pound & grind spices, etc, then use a packet mix by all means. (I had a tiny piece with a teaspoon of rice).