Braised Chicken With Grapes Cream And Verjus Food

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.

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.

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.

ROAST CHICKEN WITH ROOT VEGETABLES AND VERJUS BEURRE BLANC

Steps:

• For the vegetables: Place a medium sauté pan over medium heat, and melt 2 tablespoons butter. Add onions and toss until well coated. Add one teaspoon sugar, salt and pepper to taste and 1/4 cup water. Sauté until liquid has evaporated and onions are tender and golden brown on all sides, about 5 minutes. Transfer onions to a plate.
• Wipe out pan and return to medium heat. Melt remaining butter. Add turnips, remaining sugar, salt and pepper to taste and 1/4 cup water. Toss until liquid has evaporated and turnips are lightly browned and beginning to become tender, about 5 minutes. Add carrots and continue to toss until carrots are lightly browned and turnips are golden brown on all sides, another 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to plate of onions and set aside.
• For the chicken: Heat oven to 450 degrees. Season chicken breasts on both sides with salt and pepper. Place a large heavy oven-proof sauté pan or skillet over high heat until very hot. Add olive oil. Add chicken skin-side down, reduce heat to medium-high and cook without moving for 3 minutes. Transfer pan to oven and continue to cook, without turning breasts, until internal temperature of meat reaches 160 degrees, 10 to 15 minutes.
• For the verjus beurre blanc: In a small saucepan, combine vinegar, shallots and thyme. Place over high heat and boil until reduced by half. Add sugar, verjus and mushrooms. Reduce heat to low and simmer until liquid has again been reduced by half. Pour through a fine-meshed strainer into a heat-proof bowl; discard solids. Return liquid to saucepan and place over very low heat. Add chicken stock. Whisk in one cup butter, a little at a time, being careful that sauce does not return to a boil. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
• To finish and serve: Place a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add remaining butter and 1/4 cup water. Add vegetables and stir until glazed and thoroughly heated, about 2 minutes. Add grapes and adjust salt and pepper to taste. Arrange vegetables and grapes in centers of 4 warmed dinner plates. Slice each breast into 3 pieces and arrange around vegetables. Spoon verjus sauce around plate.

CHICKEN BREASTS WITH MUSTARD-VERJUICE JUS

Steps:

• Heat oven to 450 degrees. Sprinkle chicken generously on all sides with salt and pepper.
• Heat oil in heavy 12-inch ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat until hot but not smoking. Add chicken and brown well on both sides, about 6 to 8 minutes total. Turn the chicken skin side up, put the skillet into the oven and roast until the chicken is just cooked through, about 15 to 17 minutes. Being very careful of the hot pan, remove it from the oven, transfer chicken to a platter, and tent with foil to keep warm.
• Return pan to stove top, add verjuice and bring to a boil over high heat, scraping up all those brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Add stock and continue to boil gently until reduced by about 1/3, about 5 to 7 minutes. Whisk in mustard and thyme, adjust seasoning and spoon the sauce over the chicken. Serve with any remaining sauce separately.