Cooking with Wine

REDUCE STOCK AND PREP INGREDIENTS

Put the 4 cups of beef stock in a saucepan over high heat and reduce by 1/2. Meanwhile, prep the rest of your ingredients. This will take about 15-20 minutes.

SEAR THE CHICKEN

Preheat the oven to 350ºF.

Season your chicken with salt and pepper on both sides. Heat the oil in a large oven-safe pan to fit the chicken over medium high heat. Add the chicken and brown on both sides – about 2-3 minutes a side.

Once the chicken has browned on both sides, turn the heat down to medium low and remove the chicken and drain off the excess oil – only leaving a small amount left in the pan.

Add the shallots to the pan for about 30 seconds to sweat and then add the garlic for 15 seconds. Stir and then add the chicken back into the pan skin side up.

FLAMBÈ THE CHICKEN WITH BRANDY

Put the stock in a saucepan over medium high heat to warm – just get the temperature to warm/hot). Once the chicken is added back, heat the pan back to medium high for 1 minute.

Once hot, remove from heat and carefully add the brandy (SEE NOTES IN POST FOR SAFTY TIPS). Light with a long lighter and flambé without moving the pan. Once the flame is extinguished (approximately 10-15 seconds), shake the pan to make sure there isn’t any more brandy to ignite.

ADD WINE AND REDUCE

Return the pan to medium high heat and add the port and wine. Cook for about 5 minutes until the wine and port have reduced by about half and the alcohol smell is gone. This may take more or less time depending on how hot your stove is and the shape of your pan.

START THE BARLEY

While the sauce reduces, start the barley.

Rinse the barley in water to remove the “dust.” Add the stock, bay leaf, parsley stems and thyme to a saucepan and heat to a simmer.

Meanwhile, in another medium nonstick skillet, heat over medium heat and then add the butter. Once the butter has melted, add the carrots and sauté until they are almost tender but have just a little firmness in the center. Add the onion and cook with the carrots until translucent. Add the barley to the pan with the carrots and stir to completely to coat the barley with butter. Turn the heat to medium low and cook for about 5-8 minutes so the barley absorbs some butter.

Strain the chicken stock into the pan with the barley and add some salt and pepper. Cover and cook for about 20 minutes on the stove on medium low. Check after 15 minutes to make sure your barley isn’t too dry – if so add a little water and stir. After 20 minutes, add the remaining butter, taste for doneness and seasoning and adjust as needed. It should have a tender bite to it, but not be hard or completely mushy.

COOK THE CHICKEN IN THE OVEN

To the pan with the chicken, add the tomatoes, olives, artichokes, three lemon pieces and the warmed stock – just enough to come to the top of the chicken without covering the skin.

Bring the chicken and contents to a boil and immediately remove from the heat, cover and put into the preheated oven for about 20 minutes. Remove and take the temperature of the chicken with a probe thermometer. Once the temperature reaches 157-160ºF, remove from the oven. The final step in this recipe will bring the chicken to the perfect temperature (it needs to be at least 165ºF) without being dry and overcooked.

REDUCE THE SAUCE AND FINISH

Remove the chicken from the sauce onto a plate and set aside.

Put the sauce on medium high heat on the stove and reduce further by another ⅓ or so. Your goal here is to thicken the sauce a bit and intensify the flavors (this will take about 5 minutes).

Once you have the sauce reduced, remove from the heat and let sit for 3 minutes. Add the butter, 1 tablespoon at a time stirring it in thoroughly.

Turn your oven to broil and make sure your rack is in the middle of the oven. Add the chicken back into the pan and put the whole thing in the oven for a few minutes to crisp the skin and warm the dish. Carefully remove the pan (obviously the handle will be hot) and serve with the barley pilaf.