THE VERY HUNGRY FRENCHMAN

EPISODE THREE

Fricasse of Bresse Chicken

with Vinegar & Herbs
A little jewel of family cuisine. Again the success of this dish depends very much on the quality of the ingredients. Try to choose free range or organic Chicken and also a good red wine vinegar, the best Ive found was red wine Cabernet Sauvignon vinegar from Waitrose. The cooking time will depend entirely on the sourcing of the chicken factory produced will take 15 20 minutes, free range/organic 30 40 minutes. The dish can be prepared one day in advance and then reheated in the oven at 150C.
SERVES (YIELD): DIFFICULTY RATING: PREPARATION TIME: COOKING TIME: SPECIAL EQUIPMENT: PLANNING AHEAD: INGREDIENTS For the chicken fricasse 2kg/1 whole chicken, cut into 12 pieces for fricasse 40ml goose or duck fat 4g/4 pinches sea salt 1g/2 pinches freshly ground black pepper 1 large onion, cut in to 8 pieces through the root 12 Cloves garlic, peeled, 30g unsalted butter 160g/2 tomatoes, ripe, finely chopped 4 sprigs Tarragon 150ml red wine vinegar, reduced by half 150ml dry white wine, reduced by one third 250ml water or White chicken stock For the green beans 100ml water 30g unsalted butter 2g/2 pinches sea salt 1 pinch freshly ground black pepper 250g green beans, trimmed For the caramelised garlic 180g garlic, cloves, blanched for 2 minutes, refreshed and peeled 60ml/4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, 50ml warm water, 4 tbsp balsamic vinegar, (8-year-old) 4g/4 pinches salt 1g/2 pinches black pepper, crushed TO SERVE 4 20 MIN 60 MIN Large earthenware pot with lid This dish can be prepared 24 hours in advance. FOR THE CHICKEN FRICASSEE

1 Preheat the oven to 120C. 2 On a medium heat, in a large saut pan, seal the chicken pieces in the fat until golden brown for 5 minutes on each side, season with the salt and pepper. 3 Remove the pieces of breasts to a plate and reserve. 4 In a separate saucepan, on a medium heat sweeten the onion and garlic in the butter for 7 minutes until lightly golden. Add the tomatoes and cook for 3 minutes until they have broken down. 5 Add the remaining ingredients, bring to a simmer and add to the saut pan of chicken correct the seasoning if required. 6 Cover with a lid and cook in the oven for 50 minutes. then add the pieces of chicken breast and continue to cook for 10 minutes
FOR THE CARAMELISED GARLIC

1 Over a medium heat, in a small saut pan (15cm) fry the peeled garlic cloves in the olive oil for 5 minutes turning frequently until evenly golden brown. Add the remaining ingredients and simmer for 5 minutes until the liquid has reduced to a thick caramel. 2 Strain off the excess oil and reserve the caramelised garlic in the fridge until needed.
FOR THE GREEN BEANS

1 In a large saucepan, bring to the boil water, butter, salt and pepper; add the green beans and cover with a tight lid. Cook for 2 3 minutes until tender, taste and if needed adjust seasoning.

1 Arrange chicken and green beans on a large dish or 4 large plates. Sprinkle with parsley and caramelised garlic. Serve the sauce separately.

PREP

NOTES

&

TIPS

1 x 2.2kg chicken = 1.3kg prepped meat (1 portion = 1 drumstick or thigh + 1 breast piece + 1 wing piece = 300g raw weight) 1 x 1.6kg chicken = 800g prepped meat (1 portion = 1 drumstick or thigh + 1 breast piece + 1 wing piece = 200g raw weight)