Nicoise Chicken Stew Food

SPRING CHICKEN NIçOISE

Steps:

• Set a steamer basket in a wide pot containing 1 inch water; bring to a boil. Season chicken with salt. Lay oregano sprigs in bottom of basket; add chicken and potatoes. Reduce heat to medium, cover, and steam until potatoes are fork-tender, 12 to 14 minutes. Transfer potatoes to a plate; add peas to basket. Cover and cook until peas are tender and chicken is cooked through, 2 to 3 minutes more. Transfer chicken to plate; run peas under cold water in a colander. Shred chicken into bite-size pieces.
• Whisk together lemon juice, Dijon, 1/2 teaspoon water, and oil. Stir in chopped oregano; season with salt and pepper. Toss lettuces, potatoes, chicken, and peas lightly with dressing. Arrange on plates with cheese and olives. Drizzle with additional dressing and serve.

NICOISE CHICKEN STEW WITH TOMATOES AND BLACK OLIVES

Steps:

• In a large heavy skillet or pot, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil over moderate heat until hot. Add the onions and thyme and cook for 5 to 6 minutes, or until lightly browned. Transfer browned onions to a bowl. In the skillet heat the remaining 2 tablespoons oil over moderately high heat until hot. Pat the chicken pieces dry and season with salt and pepper. Brown the chicken, in batches if necessary, and transfer to a plate. Drain off all but 2 tablespoons of fat from the pan and add the shallots and garlic, cooking over moderate heat for 30 seconds. Stir in the tomatoes, wine, and cheesecloth bag and add the onions, chicken skin side up, and any juices that have accumulated on the plate. Bring the liquid to a boil, simmer the mixture, covered partially, for 20 minutes. Simmer the mixture, uncovered, for 15 minutes, or until the breast pieces are tender, and transfer the breast pieces to a plate. Simmer the remaining chicken and onions for 15 minutes more, or until they are tender, transfer them to the plate, and discard the cheesecloth bag. Cook the sauce over moderately high heat, stirring, for 10 to 15 minutes, or until it is thickened, add the chicken, onions, olives, and lemon juice and cook the stew, covered, over very low heat for 3 minutes, or until it is heated through. (The stew may be made 1 day ahead. Let the stew cool, uncovered, and chill it, covered. Reheat the stew, covered, over low heat, adding water if necessary.) Yield: 4 servings NOTES : (Recipes adapted from Gourmet Magazine) Posted to MC-Recipe Digest V1 #369, by Angele Freeman on Sun, 12 Jan 1997.

GNOCCHI NICOISE

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add the bacon and garlic; cook until the bacon starts to brown, about 4 minutes. Add the ground beef; cook, stirring, 3 minutes. Add the brandy, shallots, carrots, celery and tomato paste; cook until the vegetables soften, about 4 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
• Crush the tomatoes into the pan with your hands and add any juices from the can. Stir in the broth, bay leaf, orange peel and olives. Bring to a simmer and lower the heat; cover and cook 20 minutes. Uncover, increase the heat and bring to a boil to thicken the sauce.
• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil the gnocchi until one floats to the top, about 1 minute. Drain immediately to prevent the gnocchi from becoming mushy. Remove the orange peel and bay leaf from the sauce and season with salt and pepper. Toss the gnocchi with the sauce.

NICOISE CHICKEN STEW WITH TOMATOES AND BLACK OLIVES

Steps:

• In a large heavy skillet or pot, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil over moderate heat until hot. Add the onions and thyme and cook for 5 to 6 minutes, or until lightly browned. Transfer browned onions to a bowl. In the skillet heat the remaining 2 tablespoons oil over moderately high heat until hot. Pat the chicken pieces dry and season with salt and pepper. Brown the chicken, in batches if necessary, and transfer to a plate. Drain off all but 2 tablespoons of fat from the pan and add the shallots and garlic, cooking over moderate heat for 30 seconds. Stir in the tomatoes, wine, and cheesecloth bag and add the onions, chicken skin side up, and any juices that have accumulated on the plate. Bring the liquid to a boil, simmer the mixture, covered partially, for 20 minutes. Simmer the mixture, uncovered, for 15 minutes, or until the breast pieces are tender, and transfer the breast pieces to a Simmer the remaining chicken and onions for 15 minutes more, or until they are tender, transfer them to the plate, and discard the cheesecloth bag. Cook the sauce over moderately high heat, stirring, for 10 to 15 minutes, or until it is thickened, add the chicken, onions, olives, and lemon juice and cook the stew, covered, over very low heat for 3 minutes, or until it is heated through.

CHICKEN NIçOISE

Steps:

• Heat 1/4 cup of the wine to boiling in 10-inch nonstick skillet. Cook chicken in wine, turning once, until brown. Remove chicken from skillet; keep warm.
• Add garlic, onions, Italian seasoning, bell peppers, olives and remaining 1 cup wine to skillet. Heat to boiling; boil 5 minutes.
• Add chicken to skillet; reduce heat to medium. Cook 10 to 15 minutes or until juice is no longer pink when centers of thickest pieces are cut. Serve over rice.

NIçOISE CHICKEN SALAD

Steps:

• Mix the dressing ingredients together in a small bowl with 1 tbsp water. Add 1 tbsp of the dressing to the chicken breasts and toss well to coat. Heat the oil in a small non-stick frying pan with a lid and cook the chicken for about 12 mins, covered, turning over halfway until cooked all the way through.
• Meanwhile, boil the potatoes for 7 mins, add the beans and boil for 5 mins more or until both are just tender, then drain.
• Put the chicken on a plate to rest while you toss the beans, potatoes and remaining salad ingredients together in a large bowl with half the dressing. Slice the chicken, arrange on the salad, then add any juices to the remaining dressing and spoon on top.

BOEUF à LA NIçOISE: BRAISED BEEF STEW WITH RED WINE, TOMATO, OLIVES, AND BUTTERED NOODLES

Steps:

• Toss the beef in a large bowl with the cracked black pepper, 1 tablespoon thyme, the garlic, and the orange zest. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
• Take the meat out of the refrigerator 45 minutes before cooking. After 15 minutes, season it on all sides with 1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons salt. Reserve the garlic and orange zest.
• Preheat the oven to 325°F.
• Heat a large Dutch oven over high heat for 3 minutes. Pour in 3 tablespoons olive oil and wait a minute or two, until the pan is very hot and almost smoking. Place the meat in the pan, being careful not to crowd it. (You will need to do this in batches.) Sear the meat until well browned on all sides. (This step is very important and should not be rushed; it will probably take 15 to 20 minutes.) As the batches of meat are browned, remove them to a baking sheet.
• Turn the heat down to medium and add the onion, fennel, and carrot. Stir with a wooden spoon, scraping up all the crusty bits left in the pan. Add the thyme sprigs, bay leaf, and the reserved garlic and orange zest. Cook 6 to 8 minutes, until the vegetables are caramelized.
• Add the crushed tomatoes and cook 2 minutes, stirring constantly to coat the vegetables. Add the balsamic vinegar and reduce to a glaze. Pour in the red wine and reduce it by half (about 5 minutes). Add the beef stock and bring to a boil.
• Add the meat to the pot. Cover the pan with aluminum foil and a tight-fitting lid if you have one. Braise in the oven about 3 hours.
• While the meat is in the oven, cut the whole tomatoes in half lengthwise. Pour 2 tablespoons olive oil into a baking dish in which the tomatoes will fit snugly. Place the tomatoes in the dish, cut side up, and season with 1/4 teaspoon salt, pepper, and the remaining 1/2 teaspoon thyme. Roast the tomatoes in the same oven for 1 1/2 hours, until they are shriveled and slightly caramelized on top.
• To check the meat for doneness, carefully remove the lid and foil, being aware of the hot steam. Spoon a piece of meat out of the pan and press it with your thumb or a spoon. If it's done, it will yield easily and almost fall apart. If it's not super-tender, cover again and return the pot to the oven. When in doubt, taste it!
• Take the pan out of the oven and uncover completely. Using a ladle, skim off the fat that rises to the top.
• Turn the oven up to 400°F.
• Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil.
• Ladle half the braising juices into a large sauté pan and add the olives. Return the meat to the oven for 15 minutes to caramelize.
• When the water boils, cook the pasta to al dente and drain. Transfer the noodles to the pan with the braising juices and olives. Over medium-low heat, toss the noodles in the juices to coat well and bring to a low simmer. Stir in the butter, and season to taste with salt and pepper. Quickly add the spinach and a cup chopped parsley, and toss for just 1 minute, until the spinach begins to wilt.
• Transfer the pasta to a large warm platter. Spoon the meat and its juices over the noodles. Tuck the roasted tomatoes in and around the noodles and meat. Sprinkle the remaining 2 tablespoons chopped parsley over the top.

GRILLED CHICKEN NICOISE

Steps:

• Drain tomatoes and pat them dry. (If using dry-packed, pour boiling water over them to re-hydrate. Let soften for 20 minutes. Drain and pat dry.
• Mince the garlic in a food processor fitted with a metal blade. Add the sun-dried tomatoes and the remainder of the marinade ingredients. Process until pureed to the consistency of a thick paste. Reserve 2 Tbsp of the marinade for the sauce. Taste and adjust seasonings.
• Place each chicken breast half between 2 pieces of wax paper. Use a mallet to pound them to 1/2-inch thickness.
• Place the chicken breasts in a large shallow glass dish. Pat/spread the marinade over the chicken. Turn chicken coat both sides evenly. Cover and refrigerate the chicken for a minimum of two hours and a maximum of eight.
• To make the sauce, combine the reserved marinade, lemon juice, sour cream, salt and pepper in a small mixing bowl and whisk until smooth. Taste and adjust seasonings. Set aside.
• Grill the chicken on medium-high heat. Grill about 3 inches from the heat for about 7 minutes on each side, or until opaque throughout.
• To serve, place the sauce in a small saucepan and over low heat gently heat to simmering. Place the chicken on a serving platter. Drizzle warm sauce over the chicken, and garnish with parsley. Serve immediately.