Chicken in Wine Sauce

It’s time for our monthly Cooking Light recipe! I’ve decided, because I’m in charge here after all, that once a month we can break our bonds to old American cookbooks and heritage recipes in honor of one of my favorite cooking magazines.  Last month it was the Meyer Lemon Chicken and this month I bring you Chicken in Wine Sauce from the Jan/Feb 2013 Cooking Light Magazine.

This recipe is outstanding! It got the coveted Fiancé Seal of Approval. I know diner has been a hit when there is already a request for me to make it again before the dishes have even been cleared from the table.

It’s a personal pet peeve of mine when recipes call for a “dry white wine” and there is no mention of the type of wine the blogger or chef used to make it. Don’t they know that the wine aisle or store is an incredibly big and intimidating place? Wine is one of the main components of this dish and, while it is always true that the better the quality of the wine you use, the better the flavor of the finished dish, it is especially true with this Chicken in Wine Sauce recipe.

Recently my Dad has gotten me into White Burgundy wines, which are simply white wines from the Burgundy region in France. They are perfectly suited for this type of dish: flavorful yet not overpowering. For this recipe I used Domaine Maroslavac – Leger “La Combe” 2010, which is reasonably priced but bursting with flavor. (I know that there is a different wine in the pictures. Ignore it. I liked the bottle better.) If you live in Atlanta, then I highly recommend that you visit Highland Fine Wine and Crystal. Nick, the owner, is knowledgeable, friendly and incredibly helpful!

Chicken in Wine Sauce

Cooking Light Jan/Feb 2013

• 4 bone-in chicken thighs, skinned (*I used boneless breasts & thighs – delicious)
• 2 bone-in chicken breasts, skinned
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt, divided
• ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
• 2 teaspoons oil
• 1 cup chopped onion
• ½ cup thinly sliced carrot
• ½ cup thinly sliced celery
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh garlic
• 2 cups dry white wine
• 1 cup unsalted chicken stock (bonus points for homemade)
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh tarragon
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, divided
• 1 tablespoon whole-grain Dijon mustard
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 2 cups cherry tomatoes
• 2 slices applewood-smoked bacon, cooked and crumbled (optional)

Directions

• Preheat oven to 325°.
• Heat a Dutch Oven or large oven-safe pan with a lid over medium heat. [I made mine in a 5QT Calphalon Stainless Steel Lidded Pan; it wasn’t ideal but it worked.] Pat chicken dry and sprinkle evenly with ¼ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Add oil to pan; swirl to coat. Brown chicken on both sides. In a large pan you can do all the chicken at one time but in a Dutch Oven you will need to brown the chicken in two batches. Set chicken aside.
• Add onion, carrot, celery, and garlic to pan; cook for 6 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add wine; cook for 2 minutes, scraping pan to loosen brown bits. Return chicken to pan. Combine stock and flour in a bowl, stirring with a whisk until smooth. Add stock mixture to pan.
• Stir in tarragon, 2 tablespoons parsley, mustard, and bay leaf and bring to boil. Cover and bake at 325° for 45 minutes or until chicken is done and very tender. Take dish from oven and set on stove.
• Remove chicken from pan and top with ¼ cup cooking liquid. Keep warm. Heat pan over medium-high heat, and bring to boil. Boil 5 minutes or until mixture is reduced to 3 cups. Whisk in butter, remaining ¼ teaspoon salt and remaining ¼ teaspoon pepper. Discard bay leaf.
• While the sauce is reducing, preheat broiler on high. Toss tomatoes with a teaspoon of olive oil and arrange in a single layer on a jelly-roll pan. Broil 6 minutes or until blistered. Sprinkle chicken with tomatoes, crumbled bacon, and remaining 1 tablespoon chopped parsley. Serve with sauce. I also served it with rice to soak up the amazing wine sauce!

My only critique is that the bacon overpowered the flavor of the wine sauce. I would suggest trying it without the bacon first!

You can find my instructions for the Roasted Asparagus pictured here! I actually didn’t broil my tomatoes because I roasted both the asparagus and tomatoes at the same time. Place tomatoes on top rack closest to coils!