French Chicken In A Pot With Drunken Jus And Mashed Camembert Potatoes Food

DIJON-TARRAGON CHICKEN, MASHED POTATOES WITH BRIE OR CAMEMBERT AND RAINBOW CHARD WITH BACON AND LEEKS

Steps:

• For the mashed potatoes: Peel potatoes and cube into uniform pieces, 8 per potato. Smash two cloves of garlic. Place potatoes and smashed garlic in saucepot, cover with water, cover pot and bring to boil. Season with salt and cook to tender, removing lid once potatoes boil. Return the potatoes and garlic to hot pot after draining, then add milk or stock and cheese and mash. Season with pepper of choice, then keep covered.
• For the Dijon-tarragon chicken: While potatoes are coming to a boil, remove tenders from chicken and pound the breasts (if they are large) 1/2 inch thick, then cut each into 3 pieces. Season chicken breasts and tenders with salt and pepper.
• Heat a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat with EVOO and melt butter into oil. When it foams, add chicken and brown on both sides, 6 to 7 minutes.
• Peel and chop shallot and chop or grate garlic.
• Remove chicken to a plate, add shallots and garlic and stir a minute or so. Add wine and reduce to 1/4 cup, then add stock and bring to boil. Add creme fraiche or heavy cream and simmer at low rolling boil 2 to 3 minutes, then add Dijon and juice of 1/2 lemon. Chop and add tarragon, slide chicken back into pan and leave on warm or cover pan.
• For the chard with bacon and leeks: While chicken is working, heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat with 1 tablespoon of olive oil, 1 turn of the pan. Stem chard and chop stems; shred the greens. Chop and add bacon to the pan and brown to crisp, 4 minutes. Quarter leek and trim root, then chop; add chard stems and leek to bacon, stir 2 minutes, then wilt in chard greens. Season with salt and pepper and nutmeg to taste, then add juice of 1/2 lemon.
• Serve chicken alongside mashed potatoes and greens with bacon.

DRUNKEN CHICKEN

Steps:

• Sprinkle 2 tablespoons salt on the chicken, making sure to season the inside of the cavity. Leave the chicken at room temperature for 1 hour.
• Meanwhile, bring 4 quarts of cold water to a boil over medium-high heat in a 7-quart Dutch oven. Add 2 tablespoons salt, the ginger and whole scallion. Slowly lower the chicken into the boiling water with the breast side up. Bring the water back up to a gentle boil.
• Carefully lift the chicken out using the handles of 2 wooden spoons or 2 pairs of chopsticks positioned under the wings; be careful not to tear the skin (do not use tongs as they can easily tear the skin). Lift the chicken just high enough and tilt it so all the water drains from the cavity into the pot; this allows cold water in the cavity to drain and ensures even cooking.
• Lower the chicken back into the water. Bring the water back to a gentle simmer and reduce the heat to low. Cook, covered, until the juices run clear when the chicken is pierced between the leg and thigh, 33 to 35 minutes. Right before the chicken is done, prepare a large bowl of ice water.
• Transfer the chicken to ice water breast-side down; reserve the liquid the chicken poached in. Let the chicken cool for about 10 minutes, flipping it once after about 5 minutes. (The ice bath prevents the chicken from overcooking, but also helps to firm the meat and tighten the skin.) Remove the chicken, letting the excess water drain off.
• Whisk together 2 cups of the reserved poaching liquid, the wine, sugar and 1 teaspoon salt in a medium bowl until the sugar dissolves. Set aside to cool to room temperature.
• Carve the chicken with a meat cleaver or chef's knife: Start by detaching both leg quarters (leg and thigh together) from the body. Chop the leg quarters through the bone into roughly 3/4-inch pieces. Cut off the wings and drumettes. Split the wing flat lengthwise to expose the meat. Cut the breast bone down the center to separate the two breast halves. Cut each half through the bone into 3/4-inch pieces. Lay the chicken pieces in a 2-quart casserole dish in a single layer.
• Sprinkle the goji berries if using around the chicken. Pour the wine mixture over the chicken making sure it's submerged; add a little more poaching liquid if it's not. Cover and refrigerate overnight or up to 2 days.
• Serve cold, taking the chicken pieces out of the marinade and garnishing them with the goji berries and thinly sliced scallions if using.

FRENCH CHICKEN IN A POT (AMERICA'S TEST KITCHEN)

Steps:

• Adjust oven rack to lowest position and heat oven to 250 degrees. Pat chicken dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper.
• Heat oil in large (5- to 8-quart) Dutch oven over medium heat until just smoking. Add chicken breast-side down; scatter onion, celery, garlic, bay leaf, and rosemary (if using) around chicken. Cook until breast is lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Using a wooden spoon inserted into cavity of bird, flip chicken breast-side up and cook until chicken and vegetables are well browned, 6 to 8 minutes.
• Remove Dutch oven from heat; place large sheet of foil over pot and cover tightly with lid. Transfer pot to oven and cook until instant-read thermometer registers 160 degrees when inserted in thickest part of breast and 175 degrees in thickest part of thigh, 80 to 110 minutes.
• Transfer chicken to carving board, tent with foil, and rest 20 minutes. Meanwhile, strain chicken juices from pot through fine-mesh strainer into fat separator, pressing on solids to extract liquid; discard solids (you should have about 3/4 cup juices). Allow liquid to settle 5 minutes, then pour into saucepan and set over low heat.
• Carve chicken, adding any accumulated juices to saucepan. Stir lemon juice into jus to taste. Serve chicken, passing jus at table.