Chicken saute arlesienne

4 servings

Ingredients

Quantity Ingredient
4 Chicken thighs
3 tablespoons Olive oil
1 Clove garlic, crushed
2 mediums Aubergines (egg plants)
1 medium Sweet onion (see recipe)
4 tablespoons Olive oil (or more)
5 fluid ounce Dry white wine
1 ounce Softened butter
Salt & pepper
2 larges Ripe tomatoes, concassee*
Salt & pepper

Directions

GARNISH

**. Concassee tomatoes. Peel (6 to 10 secs in boiling water then straight into cold water), cut in half along the equator, and squeeze gently to express the pips. Salt lightly inside and out and leave 1 hour to disgorge excess liquid. Chop roughly.

1 Prepare the garnish. Slice the aubergines about ¼" thick, score and salt. Leave to drain pressed lightly 1 hour in a colander. Peel onion and leaving whole slice into ¼" slices to give a series of rings. Concassee the tomatoes. Leave to one side. Deep fry the onion rings. In a sauteuse, heat the olive oil and when smoking, add the dried aubergine slices. Cook one side till golden, then turn and cook other side. Keep warm with the onion rings.

2 Dry the chicken portions well making sure there are no feathery bits left. Do not season. Heat the oil in the sauteuse and when very hot, but not smoking, add the chicken portions, skin side down one two at a time, leaving about 30 seconds for the pan to reheat after a pair has been added. When the first side has turned golden, turn the portion over and when both sides are done, remove from pan. Repeat until all the portions have been done.

May be prepared ahead to this point (if cooking well in advance, cool the garnish and reheat at the last minute).

3 Check the oil, if it is burnt at all (crusty bits will be jet black) throw it away, clean out the pan and put a bit more oil in. Season the chicken portions. Heat the pan again (very moderate heat this time) and add the chicken portions. Cover the pan, saute, shaking covered from time to time for about 10 mins. Take off lid, and turn the portions, cook covered as before for a further 10 minutes or until the juices run golden (NOT pink) when a joint is pierced with the point of a knife).

4 Remove chicken pieces from pan, put them on a serving dish, covered with foil in a warm (not too hot) place, while you deglaze the pan.

Pour off all but a tiny residue of oil, leaving the crusty bits in the pan. Add thwe white wine, and on full heat cook down very fast, almost to nothing. Meanwhile, arrange garnish around the chicken portions..

5 When the wine is almost all gone, remove from the heat, check the seasoning and if necessary pour in any of the chicken juices which may have run out onto the serving dish and re-reduce a bit. Now whisk in the butter which should have been at room temperature. It will incorporate itself into the sauce, thickening it lightly.

Immediately, pour the sauce over the chicken and serve.

From: Ian Hoare Date: 09-24-94

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