Cast Iron
Chicken Braised in Virginia Spiced Wine with Shallots & Crimini Mushrooms over Noodles
- Serves 6
Author Notes
I know what happened…
I imagine an early Piedmont settler, cooking his daily gruel, must have taken a sip of a local mulled wine and screamed, “Yucckkk!” and dumped the stuff on a pillaged chicken or a dead boar.
I learned this the same way the lucky colonialists did, by accident. I grabbed the wrong bottle and splashed some on a pork tenderloin. Fruit based mulled and spiced wine of Virginia was discovered around the late 1600’s. Several spices that were specific to these medieval mixtures include anise, caraway, cardamom, cinnamon and fennel. Making great to Braise with..
This is not a Coq Au Vin really but the wine’s heavy spice makes this a unique and wonderful dish. Careful about using your sausage or chorizo as they can have a dominant flavor that will take over the dish if you use too much. —The Pull My Finger Gourmet
Ingredients
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1
Whole Chicken, Quartered
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1/4 pound
Butter
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2
Shallot, minced enough for about 1/3 a cup
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1 cup
Jamestown Cellars’ Settler’s Spiced Wine Or Mulled wine
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1
Red Bell Pepper sliced in thumb size pieces
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3/4 pound
Crimini mushrooms, sliced 1/2” (fairly thick)
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1/4 cup
Sopressata, cut into small cubes (chorizo is good for its added hot kick)
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1/3 cup
Heavy cream, room temperature
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2 tablespoons
flour (for roux)
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1
Bag-Extra Wide egg noodles
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Sea salt & fresh ground pepper to taste
Directions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Melt 4 tablespoons of butter in a large cast iron skillet over medium high heat. Add the chicken, legs first. Season with salt and pepper and cook over moderate heat until slightly well browned, about 4 minutes. Add ½ the shallots and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Get a good burn going. Add ¼ spiced wine. Separate the chicken from the bottom of the pan. Cook down and brown the other side and braise with another ¼ of spiced wine.
- Add 2 tbs of butter, mushrooms, sausage and the rest of the shallots. Season with salt and pepper and cook over low heat until the liquid evaporates, about 3 minutes. Add the last of the wine. Cover and place into the oven for 25 minutes (or until the chicken breasts are fully cooked.) Transfer the chicken to a large plate and cover with foil.
- Prepare the egg noodles al dente and set aside.
- Using same skillet, increase the heat to medium. Stir the room temperature cream into the chicken skillet and bring to a simmer. Making a rue, blend the flour and the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter together and gradually whisk into the cooking liquid and simmer, whisking 3 minutes. Return the chicken to its skillet to briefly reheat. Serve atop egg noodles toss red bell pepper pieces on top. Thank me later ?
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