Monday, March 19, 2012

A Chicken In Every Pot

After a very stressful week we were happy to celebrate St. Patrick's Day at T and J's with six friends.

First we had Manhattans along with smoked salmon.


Then, of course, there was corned beef and cabbage and Irish soda bread--all washed down with a wee bit of Guiness stout and Harp lager or a mixture thereof.


All of this was followed by a Bailey's Irish Cream Cheese Cake and Irish Coffee


A good time was had by all. So you can imagine why, while anticipating another stressful week ahead,it was the comfort and simplicity of chicken that I wanted for dinner on Sunday. I decided on a dish from Martha Stewart's Everyday Food, Braised Chicken with Red Onions and Carrots. I tried to link to Martha's recipe, but it was not yet available.  This link, although not credited to her, is her recipe. This one is my adaptation.

Braised Chicken With Red Onions and Carrots
Adapted by a Recipe by Martha Stewart from Everyday Food
Serves 4

1 tablespoon olive oil
1whole chicken, 3 1/2- to 4 pounds, cut into eight pieces and patted dry
Salt and pepper
1 large red onion, cut into 8 wedges, root end left intact
1 pound carrots, cut into 2-inch pieces
3/4 cup dry white wine
1 cup water


Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large Dutch oven heat olive oil over medium-high heat.  Season chicken with salt and pepper and add to pot, skin side down.  Cook until skin is browned, about 8 minutes. Turn and cook another 5 minutes. Transfer chicken to plate and set aside.

Add onion and carrots to pot, season with salt and pepper and cook until onion and carrots are slightly golden, about 5 minutes.  Add wine, scraping up browned bits. Return chicken to pot, skin side up, and add 1 cup water. Bring to boil, cover and transfer to oven.  Cook until chicken is cooked through, about 35 minutes.

Radishes with sweet butter and sea salt before dinner

I like to cut my chicken into 8 pieces, but because this chicken was just over 3 pounds, I left the legs and thighs attached. I leave a little bit of breast meat attached to each wing, and cut each breast half in two. 


 The chicken has been sauteed and vegetables added.  It is now ready for the oven.  Of course, you may finish cooking this on top of the stove. But once in the oven, it gave me time to clean the cooktop, thus making after-dinner clean up a breeze.


As I said the chicken was small, so it really would not have served four for dinner, and there was too much water added. If I make this dish again, I would remove the cooked chicken pieces and reduce the liquid to a thicker sauce or use less liquid.  Any way, it was a tasty dish.



Have a good week.






 

12 comments:

  1. You have me at Manhattan's and Smoked Salmon.

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  2. Lovely food! That chicken meat must be really soft...

    Cheers,

    Rosa

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  3. love the array of pictures, great looking glasses of irish coffee

    what is it about radishes, sweet butter, and sea salt?
    simple perfection.

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    1. The pretty cocktail glasses belonged to my friend,T's, mother. They are the perfect size.When did it happen that today's glasses turned into bathtubs?

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  4. My garden radishes are growing daily and I look forward to picking the first ones and eating with some of my favorite softened Kerrygold butter and a sprinkle of sea salt. What a nice party you had.

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  5. Thanks,Teresa. I wish I had a plot to grow my own radishes.We have too many deer roaming about. Maybe I'll try them in a pot on the deck this year.

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  6. LOVE radishes, good butter and sea salt - probably my favorite hors d'oeuvre of all time! One of these days, Teresa, I'll have to try growing my own. Michele, I'm wondering if they would work on a pot on the deck - let me know if you try it!

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    1. I will let you know. so far the deer have not climbed the stairs to the deck.

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  7. I like radishes with butter and sea salt very much! I also like manhattans, braised chicken and Irish coffee so I would have been a very content guest. The radishes also make a perfect top picture - lovely.

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