Just bought two young chickens (about 3.5 lbs each) and need to figure out what to do with them. I don't want to roast them since we just had roast turkey breast recently. I was thinking of braising them in some kind of sauce but I need some ideas. Here's the problem – my husband doesn't like Indian food (so no curry flavored sauces) and doesn't like the taste of alcohol (no coq au vin). Oh, and we just had BBQ recently, also, so I would want something other than that. Any ideas? He LOVES Mexican food, so if you have something that uses Mexican spices and is halfway healthy, it would be appreciated. You don't need to give me a recipe if you don't have it, just let me know your ideas. Thanks.
Braised Chicken w/ lemon, garlic and herbs:
whole fryingchicken (3-4 lb size)
4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
1 lemon, halved
coarse salt
freshly ground black pepper
4 sprigs fresh rosemary
1 clove garlic, mashed and peeled PLUS"PLUS" means this ingredient in addition to the one on the next line, often with divided uses
5 cloves garlic, whole and unpeeled
1 small onion, sliced
1 bay leaf
1 cup Pinot Grigio (or any other dry white wine)
1 teaspoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes, or to taste
1 sprig fresh thyme, chopped,
OR
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Rinse and pat chicken dry, inside and out. Drizzle chicken with 3/4 of the olive oil and the balsamic vinegar. Squeeze lemon juice over, reserving hulls. Liberally season chicken, inside and out, with salt and pepper.
Place lemon hulls, rosemary sprigs and the peeled, mashed garlic clove inside chicken cavity. Truss the chicken.
Heat remaining olive oil in an ovenproof dutch oven with tight-fitting lid (it should be large enough to hold the chicken comfortably) over medium heat. Slowly brown the chicken on all sides, starting breast side down, taking care not to tear the skin or lose the contents of the cavity. Use a spatula and wooden spoon to aid in turning the chicken. Add more olive oil if needed to prevent the chicken skin from burning. You should end with the breast side up.
Add unpeeled garlic cloves, onion and bay leaf to the pot. Pour wine over chicken. Add brown sugar to the liquid. Cover tightly and bake for thirty minutes. Uncover, and sprinkle with thyme and red pepper. Cover and bake an additional thirty minutes. Remove pot from oven and let rest, covered, for at least fifteen minutes.
Remove chicken from pot and carve, or cut into serving pieces. Defat pan juices and serve with the chicken.
Garnish this rustic dish with the braised garlic cloves, rosemary and lemon hulls, or use fresh herb sprigs and fresh lemon slices for a more elegant presentation. Perfect with rice or pasta.
