Braised Chicken

No Cassoulet cooking this winter I have decided.  But other delicious oven cooking was here last week. We love this flavoursome braised chicken with red wine.
It is based on Coq au vin the classic French cooking.  Like anything good, it needs a long preparation and cooking.  Started off by sauteing all the ingredients and finishing cooking in the oven for about one hour, but it's all good during wintertime, keep the room warm.  Indeed, it's winter treat.
We had the dish for our Sunday best, and it was so delightful.  Served with boiled potato and baked vegetables.  Followed by fresh leafy salad greens.

The ingredients and the process of cooking the Braised Chicken.

Braised Chicken with Red Wine
One free-range chicken - cut into 8 pieces

bacon, red onion, dried herbs
carrots and celery

(discard the fat-keep the skin on)
Salt and white pepper to dust and rub the chicken
before pan-frying
Aromatic vegetables, herbs:
3 red onions
( cut each onion to 4)
1 cup diced carrots
1 cup diced celery
2 pieces bacon, sliced

mushrooms and flat parsley

3 tablespoons braised tomato
1 tablespoon sugar
1 and 1/2 cups red wine
1 cup chicken stock
Herbs: bay leaf, thyme and rosemary
To garnish:
Sliced fresh mushrooms
Oil
Fresh chop flat parsley

Use a heavy-based pot to do the cooking

Note: ask the butcher to cut the whole bird, he will do the job well.

The Ingredients and the Cooking 

The red wine and braised tomato

Organise all ingredients, ready to start by pan-frying the chicken pieces.

Portioning the chicken was not my best, need more practice and extra lessons.  The strings saved the untidiness, I thought that would do for now.

Dry panfrying the chicken-no oil was needed.  And other steps of the cooking process.

rub the chicken with salt and white pepper
pan-fried in a hot pot 

add a dash of oil to continue
pan-frying until golden

after finished pan-frying all
chicken pieces, transfer the chicken to a plate
deglaze the pan with some
red wine put the bacon, all vegetables

add in the herbs, and continue cooking
put all the chicken back into the pot, put
in the sugar add the rest of the wine.

Braise in the wine and cook for 5 minutes, turn the chicken over, add in
some stock, bring to simmer. Then put the lid on

braise slowly for 10 minutes also, then off the burner, taste the seasoning
(maybe you may need to more salt) later transfer and place the pot
to the inside hot oven at 165 degrees C.  Let the oven braise the chicken for 55 minutes.
Turn the power off, but let the pot stay in 45 minutes.

And here it is, it looks moist and beautiful, the dish is ready to be served with the garnished.

Before serving, panfry the sliced mushroom.

slice the mushroom, ready to fry

fried mushroom for the garnish

garnish the braised chicken with the fried mushrooms and chopped parsley.

Serving the braised chicken, garnished with mashed potato, followed by a fresh leafy salad.

the leafy salad to enjoy after the braised chicken

What an excellent way to celebrate the late winter, cold weather outside, and here having delicious hot food inside, a comfort home cooking.  Cassoulet is a delightful dish, it was over ten years ago I cooked for the family due to my curiosity.  But I must say it was good, tasted yum, but the modification has taken place.

No Cassoulet cooking after all, hopefully, the next winter, I will be more organised and also be waiting for the family to come home.

Everyone can cook the braised chicken in wine, I think the instruction is explicit enough, I hope you try the dish and have fun cooking it.

I will close the post by sharing with you about my experience of the Friday Fun.  To you all readers, and visitors, if you missed what was happening to me, that I had been invited to join the Veteran Table Tennis Competition this year, and it runs for several weeks every Friday.  The week, I had to face a good player who I will play against, morally I was ready, and I know that I will lose, and I did.  I was disappointed to be beaten by her, a better player but pleased that I got a few points instead of zero.  She is an inspiration, she is not only a good player but very courteous the way she delivers the games.  I think it is fantastic!
Could you improve the skill to be a better player, especially if you are already in later life?  I wonder sometimes. I learnt that playing single is different and harder than playing double.  More Friday, Fun is coming.

Today is Monday.

To you all, my children, my family and friends all over the world.

Good Morning, wishing you, the most beautiful, beautiful awesome and blessed day.

Winter in late August.

Susy