In the wintertime, there’s nothing more nourishing (or more economical) than a hearty chicken stew. Over the years, I’ve experimented with various techniques for getting the maximum flavor into a chicken leg. I’ve tried marinating the chicken overnight in the wine, seasoning the chicken ahead of time before braising it, cooking the chicken in a pressure cooker, an immersion circulator, on the stovetop, or in the oven.
The best recipe I’ve come up with so far is this week’s recipe. The chicken is seasoned overnight with a spice mix of salt, pepper, paprika, cayenne and ground fennel. The next day it is thoroughly and slowly browned (browning the meat improves the color of the broth and the flavor of the chicken, and slowly rendering the skin makes it velvety — if you rush this step the skin will taste rubbery). Then I add a good amount of red wine, some tomato paste to balance the wine, a handful of dried mushrooms for color and depth flavor and a little chicken stock to extend the broth.
A Dutch oven, especially the Le Creuset brand, is the ideal all-purpose cooking vessel for a braise like this one. The thick bottom of the Le Creuset, which is made with enamel-coated cast iron, allows for even heat dispersal, which means even browning. The Dutch oven is, of course, designed for baking, so once you brown the meat, you can use the same pot to oven-braise it.
Take time to remove all the fat that comes to the surface of the liquid — you will have a lighter and clearer-flavored sauce. If you don’t like the skin, remove it, shred the meat and toss the braise with egg noodles and parmesan.
Red Wine Braised Chicken With Green Olives
Serves 4
Ingredients
SEASONING MIX
2 tablespoons salt
2 teaspoons ground black pepper
1 teaspoon ground paprika
½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 teaspoons ground fennel
CHICKEN
4 chicken legs cut into drums and thighs
Flour for dredging
¼ cup canola oil, plus 1 tablespoon
1 large yellow onion
2 carrots, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
4 cloves garlic, sliced
2 cups red wine
1 cup tomato puree
½ cup dried chanterelles
2 cups chicken stock
1 bay leaf
1 sprig fresh rosemary
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon sherry vinegar
16 green olives, pitted and cut in half
Directions
Combine all ingredients for the seasoning mix.
The night before serving, season the chicken legs all over with the seasoning mix. Refrigerate covered.
The next day, preheat oven to 350. Remove chicken legs from the refrigerator. Heat canola oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Dredge chicken in flour and shake off excess. Slowly and thoroughly brown chicken on both sides and remove to a platter. Pour off fat and remaining tablespoon canola oil. Lightly brown onions and carrots, about 10 minutes. Add garlic and cook 1 minute without browning.
Add red wine and reduce by half. Add tomato puree, dried chanterelles, chicken stock, bay leaf and rosemary and bring to a boil. Return the chicken legs to the pot, cover, and place in the oven for 1½ hours.
Remove the pot from the oven. The chicken should be tender and starting to fall off the bone. Carefully remove the chicken legs to a baking dish and refrigerate. Cool the broth slightly and skim off any fat on the surface. Remove the bay leaf and herb sprig. Pour the cooled liquid over the chicken, cover and refrigerate. (The recipe can be prepared to this point up to 2 days in advance or frozen for up to a month.)
To serve, place the chicken legs and their sauce in a Dutch oven and bring the liquid to a boil. Reduce the liquid to sauce consistency and whisk in the butter and vinegar and add the olives. Serve family-style over soft polenta, mashed potatoes or rice.
