Chicken in a Pungent Sauce--Modern Version
Submitted by rileykai
Bacon-browned chicken braised with saffron, mint, and parsley in reduced chicken broth, finished with crispy bacon bits and sweet seedless grapes. A rustic, medieval-inspired dish with bold, unexpected flavors.
YIELD
4 servingsPREP
20 minCOOK
30 minREADY
50 minThis recipe reads like something pulled from an old European kitchen, and that’s exactly its charm.
Two whole chickens get quartered and browned in rendered bacon fat until the skin is deeply golden.
A fragrant rub of crushed parsley, mint, saffron, salt, and pepper goes over the top, then chicken broth deglazes the pan and everything braises gently in an earthenware casserole until fork-tender.
The braising liquid gets reduced to a syrupy glaze, and the finishing touch seals the deal: crumbled crispy bacon and handfuls of sweet seedless grapes scattered over the top.
Savory, sweet, herbal, and smoky in a single dish. Serve with buttered mixed vegetables for the full experience.
Pro Tips
- Brown low and slow in the bacon fat: Don’t rush this step. The rendered fat and the fond left in the pan are the flavor foundation for the entire sauce.
- Reduce the braising liquid hard: Boil it down to a syrupy consistency. This concentrated glaze coats the chicken and delivers intense flavor in every bite.
- Add grapes at the very end: They should warm through but stay plump and juicy, not cook down into mush.
Ingredients
Directions
Made from necks, gizzards, and livers. Fry the bacon until crisp in a large iron frying pan.
Remove from the pan, drain on paper toweling, break into small pieces and set aside.
Brown slowly in the bacon fat the broilers which have been quartered, necks removed.
When nicely browned, transfer the chicken to a large earthenware casserole and keep warm.
Crush together 1 tablespoon chopped parsley, the dried powdered mint or leaves of fresh mint chopped fine, the salt, freshly ground pepper and saffron.
Sprinkle over the chicken.
Add to the brown residue in the frying pan the chicken broth.
Bring to a boil, stir well and pour over the chicken.
Place the casserole on a flame tamer over low heat, cover tightly and cook gently until the chicken is tender, or for about 3O minutes.
Drain off most of the juice into a small saucepan and reduce to a syrupy consistency by boiling rapidly, for about 5 minutes.
Pour back over the chicken, sprinkle with another tablespoon of chopped parsley and the pieces of bacon, and add the grapes.
A macedoine of cooked chopped carrots, string beans, lima beans and peas, well buttered, would be good with this dish.
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