This recipe is my healthier, easier riff on a recipe of Richard Blais’. He confits his chicken and then fries it; I didn’t want to bother confit-ing nor did I want that much fat. His flavor profile is fabulous though!
Ingredients
- 1 whole chicken, skinned and cut into pieces but all the junk reserved
- 1 cup flour
- 3 TB salt
- 1 TB peppercorns
- 1 tsp lavendar (there’s a special version for cooking, don’t break open your panty drawer sachet!)
- 1 tsp orange zest
- 2 TB fresh thyme
- 1 quart chicken stock
- Brussels sprouts
Preparation:
- Take all the chicken skin and excess fat, and start it frying in the skillet
- Coat the chicken in salt-and-peppered flour
- When there’s a good bit of melting fat in the skillet, push all the fat to the edge, and put the chicken pieces in the pan and sear (wings and dark meat first, then the breasts) on both sides
- When the chicken is all well-browned, add the rest of the ingredients except the brussels sprouts to the pan
- When the liquid is at a low boil, turn the heat down, and turn the chicken over again
- Allow the sauce to reduce until it is thickened; remove the pieces of chicken
- Cook the brussels sprouts on high heat in the remaining sauce, deglazing if necessary with more stock
- Blais’ version uses a sauce of kumquats and olives. I’m using a good squeeze of ripe orange.
- Pretty delicious.
kelliskillet 