As it gets colder and we get more cozy in winter, our tastes change. I turn away from all the salads and start to crave deep flavored and warm foods. Things that cook in the oven for hours and bubble away on the stove – filling my house with delicious aromas. In this, I am wrapped in feelings of abundance, comfort and satisfaction. A chicken roasting in my oven just fills my wicked heart with all kinds of warm fuzzies. A braise sends me to the moon.
These two next recipes represent how I love to cook and what I love to eat. I made them and posted them on instagram and recipes were requested, so I made them again to transcribe just for you.
The chicken is Tarragon Chicken. Simple and very French. It is a timeless recipe, and I have a couple tweaks to mine to suit my tastes over the years. I serve it with a wild rice pilaf and lovely honey-glazed carrots or some lemony green beans. If I have any of the pilaf left, I throw it into the soup.
Day 2 we turn the chicken in to what else…soup. As my favorite aunt says, “if you have a carcass, you have a stock.” So, get to the business of kitchen craft and make broth. If you can’t make the broth right away, stash your bones and veggie scraps in the freezer until you have a little time. Once made, you can freeze the stock for later.
A special note about this recipe: I use dried mushrooms in this. I use a bit of reconstituted mushrooms and the mushroom-steeped liquid. I do this a lot. It just adds so much more depth and intensity to any dish featuring my favorite fungi. I urge you to always a have an ounce or two around and to use them liberally.
Recipe
Poulet ‘al’ Estragon (Tarragon Chicken)
INGREDIENTS
- 1 whole chicken, 4-5 lbs
- 4 springs of tarragon and 2 tbsp leaves, separated
- 2 tbsp butter
- ½ cup shallots or yellow onion, finely chopped
- 1 tbsp dijon, whole grain or ground
- ½ cup dry white wine
- ½ cup heavy cream
- salt and pepper
- Lemon juice (optional)
INSTRUCTIONS
- Preheat oven to 350. Dry chicken and salt and pepper liberally. In a heavy bottom oven-proof pot with a lid (like a dutch oven), heat on medium high heat and melt 1 tablespoon of butter. Place chicken breast side down and cook 3-5 minutes, until skin has a bit of sear and a golden-brown color. Carefully flip the bird and brown the bottom, then remove and set aside. Add rest of butter and sauté the shallots or onions until soft not browned, 1-2 minutes. Then, place the chicken back into the pot on top of the wilted shallots. Place sprigs of tarragon on and around the chicken, put on the lid, and pop the whole thing in the oven for 1-1½ hours. When the chicken is done, it should be very tender.
- Carefully remove the chicken, place on platter and tent with foil to keep warm. Discard tarragon stems.
- Over medium high heat, simmer pan drippings. Return any dripping from the platter to the sauce. Add wine and reduce to half, about 5-8 minutes. Add cream and mustard, simmer for 2-4 minutes, or until sauce is thickened, coating the back of a spoon.
- Add in tarragon, salt and pepper to taste, and if desired add a squeeze of lemon to brighten the flavor.
- Serve the chicken with cream sauce on the side.
Recipe
Chicken, Wild Rice and Mushroom Soup
Note: You can make this without the bacon or the cream. It is really heavenly with one or both though. If you made the above chicken and have any cream sauce left, that would be good in this soup too. For more on Mushrooms, see Wild Mushroom OrzoINGREDIENTS
- 1 oz dried mushrooms, I prefer porcini or a medley
- 1 cup boiling water
- 3-4 strips bacon (optional)
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp butter
- 8 oz sliced mushrooms, white or crimini
- 1 yellow onion, chopped small
- ½ cup cooked wild rice
- ½ cup cooked brown basmati rice
- 1 large carrot, diced
- ½ cup dry white wine
- 4 cups broth
- 2-3 cups cooked chicken, medium cut
- ½ cup heavy cream (optional, but recommended)
- Chives, tarragon or parsley, finely chopped
- salt and pepper
INSTRUCTIONS
- Put dried mushrooms in a bowl, pour the boiling water over them and let them sit for at least 20 minutes. Lift the reconstituted mushrooms from the liquid, careful to not disturb any sediment that may have collected on the bottom of the bowl, and strain the liquid, into a clean vessel through the sieve. Discard the grit and twigs reserving the liquid.
- In a heavy-bottom pot, brown bacon, remove, chop into pieces, and set aside for later use. Over a medium heat, add butter and olive oil to the pan and sauté the onions 3-5 minutes until softened.
- Add mushrooms, ¼ teaspoon salt, and sauté 5 minutes until the mushrooms have given up most of the liquid. Add garlic and carrot, sauté another 2 minutes.
- Pour wine and mushroom broth into pot, bring to a simmer, and reduce by half, about 4 minutes. Add broth and simmer 20 minutes.
- Add cooked rices and chicken. Simmer another 10-15 minutes.
- Stir in cream, return bacon to soup, and remove from the heat
- Salt and pepper to taste and fold in herbs, if using.