Rustic Garlic Chicken With Sherry Brandy Recipes

Steps:

• Use a sharp knife and poultry shears to divide chicken breasts into 4-6oz, serving pieces. You can get two pieces out of a moderate-sized breast or 3 pieces out of a large one.
• Drain and coarsely chop artichoke hearts.
• Heat butter and olive oil over medium heat in a large, heavy skillet that can go into the oven.
• Brown chicken on all sides, browning the skin side first. Remove to a dish that will catch the juices.
• Saute onions and garlic on low-medium until onions are soft and translucent.
• Add mushrooms if using them and cook briefly.
• Add sherry to pan and stir until it has all evaporated.
• Sprinkle flour over the onions and cook as a roux for a minute or two. If there is not enough fat remaining in the pan add a little more butter.
• Slowly add chicken broth, stirring vigorously so as not to create any lumps. Add salt and pepper. Bring to a boil then turn heat down to a simmer.
• Add artichoke hearts, chicken pieces, and chicken juices. Stir in gently.
• Cover and simmer 8-12 minutes or until the chicken is barely cooked and the sauce has thickened slightly. (The sauce will still be quite runny, not thick like gravy).
• Hold in oven at 225F if necessary. Could be held in a crockpot on warm for buffet service.
• I suggest serving over rice or noodles. Also good with crusty bread to sop up the sauce. Your favorite green vegetable will round out the meal nicely.
• Note: If you wish to use boneless, skinless breasts I suggest cooking them until almost done in the browning stage so that they will finish cooking as they sit while you make the sauce, then rewarming them briefly in the sauce immediately before serving.
• Note: If your family prefers dark meat you could use thighs instead of or in addition to breasts but will probably need to pour off excess grease before adding the flour.
• Note: If you want a thicker, more gravy-like sauce increase the flour to achieve your preferred texture.
• Note: This recipe can be made with boneless pork chops instead of chicken if you follow the directions for boneless breasts.
• Variation: Decrease the amount of chicken stock slightly. Add the juice and zest of one lemon and 1 tbs capers.
• Variation: Add 1-2lbs of barely-cooked asparagus tips at the last moment and cook just long enough to heat through.

Steps:

• For brine, in a large saucepan, bring water and salt to a boil. Cook and stir until salt is dissolved. Remove from the heat; cool to room temperature., Place a large heavy-duty resealable plastic bag inside a second large resealable plastic bag; add chicken. Carefully pour cooled brine into bag. Squeeze out as much air as possible; seal bags and turn to coat. Refrigerate 1-2 hours, turning several times., Preheat oven to 400°. Drain and discard brine. Rinse chicken with cold water; pat dry. Sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon pepper. In a large ovenproof skillet, brown chicken in oil over medium heat. , Bake, uncovered, 20-25 minutes or until a thermometer reads 170°. Remove chicken and keep warm. Drain drippings, reserving 1 tablespoon., In the drippings, saute garlic for 1 minute. Add broth, sherry or additional broth and thyme. Bring to a boil; cook until liquid is reduced to 1 cup. Discard thyme. Stir in the butter, lemon juice and remaining pepper. Serve with chicken.

Steps:

• Rub the chicken pieces in a mixture of the paprika, salt and pepper.
• (I put plastic bags on my hands to stop the bits getting under my nails!) Gently heat the Olive Oil in a large flame-proof casserole dish and fry the garlic until it is lightly browned.
• Remove the garlic with a slotted spoon.
• Add the chicken pieces and gently fry until light brown on all sides.
• Return garlic to the dish, add the sherry, brandy and bay leaves.
• Bring to the boil and then cover and simmer for approx 45 mins until the chicken is tender.