Southern Chicken With Olives Poulet Nicoise Food

CHICKEN NICOISE SALAD

Steps:

• Add the potatoes to a pot and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil and simmer until tender, about 5 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon (let the water continue to boil) and let cool slightly.
• Prepare an ice water bath. Add the haricot verts to the boiling water, blanch briefly and transfer to the water bath to stop the cooking process. Drain, then cut into 2-inch pieces. Slice the potatoes 1/4 inch thick.
• Arrange the lettuce on a platter. Top with separate mounds of the potatoes, haricot verts, tomatoes, eggs and chicken, then drizzle with the Mustard Vinaigrette. Season all with salt and pepper. Garnish with the olives.
• In a mixing bowl, combine the oil, vinegar, mustard, garlic and shallot. Whisk until emulsified. Season with salt and pepper.

POULET BASQUAISE (BASQUE STYLE CHICKEN)

Steps:

• Dust the chicken pieces in the seasoned flour. Heat the oil in a large dutch oven over medium-high heat and fry the chicken pieces until golden brown. Remove and set aside.
• Reduce the heat, add the onions, peppers, and cook, stirring frequently, for 4-5 minutes, until softened and golden. Stir in the garlic, paprikas and prosciutto and fry for another 2-3 minutes.
• Return the chicken to the pan, pour in the wines, water, and the tomatoes. Stir in the thyme and the olives and season to taste.
• Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer, cover the pan and cook for 35-40 minutes, until the chicken is cooked and the sauce is rich and thick.
• While chicken is simmering, cut the ready-made polenta into 1 inch slices. In a frying pan, heat olive oil then fry garlic for 3-5 minutes. Remove garlic from oil and discard. Fry the slices and when golden and crisp, garnish with fresh parsley. Serve along with chicken.

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.

BRAISED CHICKEN WITH TOMATOES AND OLIVES (POULET PROVENCAL)

Steps:

• Preheat convection oven to 400°F or regular oven to 425°F with rack in middle.
• Toss together tomatoes, onion, olives, sliced garlic, 2 tablespoons oil, 1 teaspoon herbes de Provence, fennel seeds, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in a 13- by 9-inch or other 3-quart shallow baking dish. Push vegetables to sides of dish to make room for chicken.
• Stir together minced garlic, 1 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, remaining teaspoon herbes de Provence, and remaining tablespoon olive oil.
• Remove excess fat from chicken and pat dry, then rub inside and out with seasoning mixture. Tie legs together with string, then put chicken in baking dish.
• Roast until an instant-read thermometer inserted into thickest part of a thigh (do not touch bone) registers 170°F, about 1 hour in convection oven; 1 to 1 1/4 hours in regular oven.
• Let chicken stand 10 minutes before carving. Serve with vegetables and pan juices.

CHICKEN PICCATA WITH NIçOISE OLIVES

Steps:

• In a large sieve rinse olives and drain well. Pit olives and cut into slivers. With a sharp knife butterfly each chicken breast half by horizontally cutting through meat, keeping 1 long side intact, and opening like a book. With a rolling pin lightly pound chicken between sheets of plastic wrap to about 1/8 inch thick. Pat chicken dry and season with salt and pepper.
• In a 12-inch heavy skillet heat oil and 2 tablespoons butter over moderately high heat until foam subsides and sauté chicken, 1 piece at a time, until golden and just cooked through, about 30 seconds on each side. Transfer chicken as sautéed with tongs to a platter and keep warm, loosely covered with foil.
• Pour off any fat in skillet. Add wine and deglaze skillet over moderately high heat, scraping up brown bits. Stir in lemon juice and remaining 2 tablespoons butter and heat sauce, swirling skillet, until butter is just incorporated. Remove skillet from heat and stir in olives, parsley, and salt and pepper to taste.
• Spoon sauce over chicken.