Chicken Braised In Walnut Sauce Food

SAUTéED CHICKEN WITH WALNUT SAUCE

Steps:

• Turn the heat to medium under a nonstick skillet large enough to hold the chicken pieces without crowding them; use two skillets if necessary. Cook on the first side about 10 minutes, rotating the pieces and adjusting the heat as necessary to brown the pieces evenly. As the pieces brown, season with salt and pepper. Cook the second side as you did the first, then turn once or twice more until done, a total of 20 to 30 minutes. (You can check for doneness by cutting into the pieces; there should be no sign of blood, although traces of pink are all right. The breast and wing pieces will finish cooking first; keep them warm in a low oven, or just set them aside and serve them less than piping hot.)
• Meanwhile, soak the bread in the milk or stock. Put the walnuts, garlic and some salt in the container of a food processor, and pulse to grind coarsely. Gently squeeze some liquid from the bread, and add the bread to the container, along with the oil. Process until combined but not puréed. Add as much of the remaining milk or stock as necessary to give the mixture a mayonnaise-like consistency. By hand, add the paprika or chili powder, and stir in the parsley if you are using it. Taste and adjust seasoning as necessary.
• Serve the chicken hot or at room temperature with the sauce spooned over it.

FESENJAN (PERSIAN POMEGRANATE CHICKEN)

Steps:

• Toast and grind the walnuts: You can toast the walnuts in one of two ways. You can either spread them out in a single layer in a large skillet, and toast them on medium high heat, stirring frequently until lightly toasted, OR you can spread them out in a single layer in a baking rimmed baking sheet, and toast at 350°F in the oven for 8 to 10 minutes. In either case, once toasted, remove from heat and allow to cool. Once cool enough to handle, pulse in a food processor or blender until finely ground.
• Brown the chicken pieces on all sides: In a large pan, heat 1 tablespoon of butter and 2 tablespoon of olive oil over medium-high heat. When the butter has melted, pat the chicken pieces dry again and place the chicken pieces in the pan, working in batches if necessary to not crowd the pan, and cook until golden brown on all sides. Sprinkle the chicken with salt while they are cooking.
• Sauté the onions: Use a slotted spoon or tongs to remove the chicken from the pan, set aside. Add a tablespoon of butter and a tablespoon of oil to the pan. Lower the heat to medium low. Add chopped onions to the pan and sauté until translucent, stirring on occasion to release the browned bits from the bottom of the pan.
• Add chicken and stock: Return the chicken pieces to the pan with the onions. Pour 2 cups of chicken stock over the chicken and onions. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, cover and simmer gently for 30 minutes.
• Add ground walnuts, pomegranate molasses, sugar, spices, cover and cook: Stir in the ground walnuts, pomegranate molasses, sugar, and spices. Cover and cook on very low heat for 1 hour, stirring every 20 minutes or so to prevent the walnuts from sticking to the bottom of the pan. Remove from heat and adjust sugar/salt to taste. At this point the chicken should be fall apart tender.
• Serve: Garnish with pomegranate seeds. Serve over parsi pulao or other favorite rice. Links: Slow cooker pomegranate chicken salad from Lydia of The Perfect Pantry

CHICKEN WITH WALNUT SAUCE

Steps:

• Bring a pot of chicken stock or water to a boil (starting with stock will mean even more flavorful chicken and even better stock when you're done). Add the chicken, onions, carrots, celery, parsley stems, salt, and pepper; the liquid should just cover the chicken. Simmer, uncovered, over low heat, until the chicken is cooked through, about 30 minutes. Remove the chicken and cool to room temperature. Strain the stock and set aside.
• Put the bread in a bowl and saturate it with some of the stock. Squeeze any excess liquid out of the bread, then place it in a food processor with the parsley leaves, walnuts, garlic, and chile. Process until the walnuts are ground, then, with the machine running, pour in enough of the reserved stock to form a creamy sauce, about 2 cups. Reserve the remaining stock for another use.
• Season the sauce with salt and pepper. Carve the chicken and serve it with the sauce.
• Walnut Chicken Salad
• When the chicken is cooked, remove the meat from the bones and chop into small pieces; combine with enough of the sauce to create a chicken salad. Serve at room temperature.

ROASTED CHICKEN WITH CREAMY WALNUT SAUCE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. In a roasting tin, toss together the chicken, cumin, paprika, 1 tbsp olive oil and seasoning. Cook for 40 mins until the chicken is crisp and cooked through.
• Meanwhile, tear up 1 pitta bread and place in a small bowl. Pour over a couple of tbsp chicken stock and leave to soak. Dry-fry the walnuts in a frying pan for about 3 mins until golden and toasted. Set aside. Heat the remaining oil in the pan and cook the onion and garlic until softened. Place the softened pitta bread, onion mixture and most of the nuts into a blender. Pour over the rest of the chicken stock and whizz together until a rough paste forms. Return the mixture to the pan. Add the cream and lemon juice, season and keep warm.
• When the chicken is cooked, arrange on a platter. Stir the coriander through the sauce and spoon into a bowl. Roughly chop the remaining walnuts and scatter over the chicken. Toast the pittas, cut into wedges and serve alongside

BRAISED CHICKEN WITH OLIVES AND CITRUS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400°F.
• Put the chicken, olives, onion, preserved lemon, dried limes, lemon slices, oil, honey, salt, cilantro, garlic, turmeric, cumin, paprika, and chile flakes in a large bowl. Using your hands, mix everything thoroughly, making sure the chicken pieces are well coated with the spices and herbs.
• Arrange the chicken pieces skin-side down in a deep baking dish in a single snug layer. Arrange the rest of the mixture over the chicken. Whisk the stock with the orange juice in a measuring cup and pour over the chicken.
• Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 40 minutes. Remove the foil and, using tongs or a couple of spoons, turn the chicken pieces skin-side up. Bake, uncovered, for another 20 to 25 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through and the skin is nicely browned and crackly. To check for doneness, make a small incision in the thickest part of a chicken thigh and make sure the juices run clear. If they are still pink, baste the skin with the pan juices to prevent the chicken from drying out and roast for another few minutes.
• Sprinkle with the cilantro leaves (if using) and serve over couscous.

FIG-BRAISED CHICKEN WITH SPICED WALNUTS

Steps:

• Prepare the chicken:
• In a cast-iron skillet or sauté pan over medium-high heat, add 1 tablespoon ghee or oil along with the figs and cherries and sauté for 2 minutes. Add the balsamic vinegar and Worcestershire sauce and simmer to reduce by one third, about 3 minutes. Remove from the heat.
• Transfer the marinade to a bowl and place in the freezer to cool for about 10 minutes.
• In the same bowl or a resealable zip-top bag, combine the chicken and marinade. Mix thoroughly to coat the chicken evenly, cover if using a bowl, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or up to 24 hours.
• When you are ready to eat, preheat the oven to 400°F.
• Transfer the chicken from the marinade to a plate. Reserve the marinade.
• Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon ghee or oil in an oven-safe cast-iron skillet or sauté pan over medium-high heat. Season the chicken thighs with the sea salt and cook the chicken in the hot ghee or oil until browned, about 3 minutes per side. Add the reserved marinade and bone broth and bring to a simmer. Reduce the liquid by half, about 10 minutes, turning the chicken periodically to ensure even cooking.
• Make the spiced walnuts:
• On a baking sheet or in an oven-safe sauté pan, toss the walnuts with the olive oil, sea salt, and paprika. Spread out in an even layer and toast in the oven for about 10 minutes.
• Serve:
• Transfer the skillet or pan with the chicken to the oven and cook for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and let sit for 10 minutes. Serve the chicken, garnished with toasted walnuts and chopped fresh parsley.

BRAISED CHICKEN WITH OAXACAN MOLE

Steps:

• Wash the chile, remove stem and seeds. Place in a medium bowl and cover with warm water. Let stand for 30 minutes. While chile is soaking, add the sesame seeds and spices to a large skillet and toast over moderately low heat, stirring until fragrant. Place toasted mixture in a grinder and process to a fine powder. Set aside.
• In the same skillet add in 1 tablespoon oil and warm slightly. Stir in raisins, almonds and tortilla. Cook over low heat until almonds are toasted and raisins plump. Transfer to a large bowl and set aside.
• Add the tomatoes to the skillet and cook, turning frequently until skins are blistered on all sides. Transfer to a bowl. Add onion and garlic to the skillet and cook, stirring until lightly browned taking care not to burn the garlic. Place contents in a blender or food processor container and lightly chop.
• Add a tablespoon of oil to skillet, stir in chopped vegetables and spice mix. Cover over medium heat until warmed through. Drain the chiles and add along with chicken stock. Partially cover, bring to a boil, reduce heat to simmer and cook for 1 hour. Remove from heat, add in chocolate and process in a blender in batches or using stick blender process until smooth. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large skillet warm 2 tablespoons of oil and in batches if necessary brown chicken over high heat, turning as needed to brown all sides. Place browned chicken in oven proof dish, pour prepared mole over all. Cover and bake in preheated oven until chicken is cooked through, approximately 1 hour. Transfer to a serving platter and garnish with additional sesame seeds and chopped fresh cilantro.
• Note: The mole can be prepared ahead of time and frozen in 2 cup portions. Defrost in refrigerator and warm before pouring over browned chicken. Bake chicken and mole as directed.

WALNUT CHICKEN WITH MUSHROOMS IN CREAMY MUSTARD SAUCE

Steps:

• Mix together 1/2 cup of the chicken broth. 1/4 cup of the chopped walnuts, and 2 teaspoons minced garlic. Pour it in an 8x8 or 9x9 baking dish.
• Arrange chicken pieces in the the baking pan, turning to be sure all pieces are well coated with the nutty broth sauce. Season both sides of the chicken breasts with basil, salt and pepper. Place the pan in the refrigerator to marinate for about 1 hour. (If you're running short on time, it's OK to skip the 1-hour refrigeration step; just be sure the chicken is well coated on all sides with the nutty broth sauce.).
• Bake chicken breasts in the nutty broth sauce for about 30-45 minutes at 375 degrees, or until juice runs clear in the chicken.
• When chicken is about half done (about 15-20 minutes into the roasting time), saute the remaining 1/4 cup walnuts and remaining 1/2 cup broth in a skillet over medium heat for about 3-4 minutes. Add the sliced mushrooms, and stir, continuing to saute until the mushrooms are tender.
• In separate skillet, saute the remaining 2 teaspoons garlic in the butter for about 2 minutes over medium-low heat. Add the Dijon mustard and stir well. Add the cream and continue cooking, stirring constantly, until the sauce just begins to thicken.
• Pour the mustard sauce over the chicken breasts. Top with the nutty mushroom mixture.
• Sprinkle chopped green onions (scallions) over the top, if desired.
• NOTE: When I use extra thick chicken breasts, so they cook more thoroughly I cut a slit about 1 inch in depth in the side of each breast (to make a pocket) before placing it in the oven. I also chop the mushrooms (rather than just leave them sliced). Then, Step #6 would be to spoon the nutty mushroom mixture inside the pockets after the chicken breasts are fully cooked. Then pour sauce over the stuffed, cooked chicken breasts and top with chopped green onions. You might want to do this too, if the chicken breats are rather thick.