Tag: chicken legs

• 

  One Pot Chicken Chasseur

  This hearty chicken stew is a signature dish in French cuisine. I have read that the pairing of mushrooms and chicken (the stars of the show) is not just a coincidence. During the hunt for chicken and other game, hunters would forage for mushrooms as they went.

  I can see how this dish would be perfect after a long cold day hunting. The fresh ingredients come together perfectly and leave you satisfied without being heavy. 

  This is my take and it all happens in one casserole pot.

  

  Steps

  1. Preparing the chicken and the vegetables
  2. Browning the chicken
  3. Cooking the vegetables
  4. Simmering for about an hour then reducing the sauce
  5. Serving

  Equipment

  • 1 chef’s knife
  • 1 wooden spoon
  • 1 casserole dish or hob suitable dish

  Ingredients

  • 4 – 6 chicken thighs, skinless, deboned
  • 1 brown onion, diced
  • 2 garlic cloves, diced
  • 2 carrots, sliced
  • 2 celery sticks, sliced
  • Mushrooms (I used a handful of buttons and another of shitake)
  • A good slug of tomato paste
  • white wine or chinese cooking wine, to deglaze
  • Thyme sprigs to taste
  • 1L chicken stock (I used this home-made stock)
  • olive oil
  • Flour, enough to coat the chicken thighs
  • Salt to taste
  • Black peppercorns (cracked or ground) to taste

  Preparing the chicken and the vegetables

  1. Coat the chicken in a mix of flour and pepper and set aside.
  2. Prepare the:
     • 1 brown onion, diced
     • 2 garlic cloves, diced
     • 2 carrots, sliced
     • 2 celery sticks, sliced
     • Mushrooms, cleaned and sliced or left whole but stems separated
     • Thyme, rinsed

  

  Browning the chicken

  1. Add a slug of olive oil to your pot and bring to medium heat.
  2. Cook the chicken thighs in batches for about 5 minutes a side.
  3. Remove them to a plate and cover to keep them warm

  

  

  

  Cooking the vegetables

  1. Deglaze the pan with some white wine or fortified cooking wine.
  2. Add the onions and and cook until soft.
  3. Add the garlic cloves and cook for a minute or so.
  4. Add the carrots, celery, mushrooms and thyme.
  5. Cook for another minute or so and add a good slug of tomato paste.
  6. Add the 1L chicken stock and bring to the boil.

  

  

  Simmering for an hour then reducing the sauce

  1. Turn the heat to a low simmer.
  2. Put the chicken thighs back into the pot and giver everything a gentle mix.
  3. Simmer for about an hour.
  4. Remove the chicken thighs again and keep them warm.
  5. Turn the heat back up and reduce the remaining liquid until it is thickened considerably (10 to 15 minutes should do it).
  6. Return the thighs again and give a gentle mix.

  At the start of simmering:

  After simmering for an hour:

  After the sauce has been reduced:

  Serving

  I simply placed the dish in the middle of the table and let everyone serve themselves. Crusty bread and mashed potatoes were the accompanying act but it also goes great with rice.

  Enjoy,

  PK

  Here are some more French cooking secrets and chicken recipes : 

  Written by

  PK

  ·

  April 30, 2020

• 

  Chicken Leg, Thigh And Drumstick

  Breaking down a whole chicken is the best way to save money and also know that you are making the best use of a precious resource. Here we are removing the legs from the body.

  The leg meat has more flavour than breast meat and is juicer. That makes it perfect for soups and curries where the breast meat might dry out.

  Removing the whole leg

  1. Place the whole bird legs towards you and breast up.
  2. Feel with your hands where the thigh bone attaches to the hip.
  3. Keeping your fingers safe, cut downwards at that point until the leg is mostly free but not fully cut off.
  4. From below the leg, use your hands to pop the thigh bone up and off the hip.
  5. Turn the bird over and cut around the thigh bone trying to pick up the meat that is on the body but still considered leg meat.

  Separating the thigh and drumstick

  Simply cut through the knee joint to further break down the leg into the thigh (above the knee) and drumstick (below the knee). In the pictures below you can see that there is nothing below the ankle. If there is you can also cut this off.

  

  Enjoy,

  PK

  More Chicken Cuts:

  [table id=chicken /]

  Related Links:

  • see all recipes using chicken here
  • go to the main page about chickens here
  • go to the main ingredients page here

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  Written by

  PK

  ·

  October 13, 2017