Chicken Vesuvio
I had never heard of this before, but got the Cook's Illustrated Cooking For
Two (magazine) and there was a modified recipe in there for it. Apparently
it is popular in Chicago and is usually done in the oven. The modification
is that it is done in a skillet. And it's also done with boneless, skinless
chicken breasts so it cooks quicker. Normally it is bone in chicken pieces
with potatoes and peas.
I made the recipe tonight using chicken cutlets because I didn't feel like
pounding out the breasts to 1/2" thickness like the recipe said to do. I
also left out the peas because Angela is allergic. I am also tempting fate
because the recipe called for dry white wine. The Dr. told me I shouldn't
have alcohol because of the fatty liver. But dang! It gives such a good
flavor. I also discovered that I had no rosemary. The recipe called for
that and oregano. So I used Italian seasoning with a little added oregano.
And I used sweet rice flour instead of regular flour. I also used Nucoa
(margarine) instead of butter. And I realize now I didn't use the exact
proportions of lemon juice and butter. I used half what they called for
since I doubled the recipe.
I had doubled the recipe thinking we could have it again. And perhaps
Angela can have it again. She liked it so much she went back for more. So
there is probably not enough left for the two of us.
I won't post the actual recipe because you can probably easily buy the
magazine if you want it. But I will tell you what I did.
Put some flour on a plate. Season chicken pieces with salt and pepper, then
lightly dredge in the flour. Heat a small amount of olive oil to smoking,
then brown chicken on both sides. This didn't take very long with the
cutlets. Put browned chicken on a plate, then wipe out skillet with paper
towels.
Cut some washed red potatoes into 1" chunks. I used 6. Two were kind of
big and the others medium sized. Add more oil to the skillet and cook until
brown. Recipe said this would take 7 minutes but it took longer in my case.
Perhaps because I doubled the recipe.
Add your fragrant ingredients. In my case Italian seasoning and oregano.
Also some garlic. Also more salt and pepper. Heat through until you can
smell the spices. About 30 seconds.
Then deglaze the pan with 1/2 cup dry white wine and about a cup of chicken
broth.
Then add the chicken back to the pan. Cover and cook more on medium low
heat. Recipe said 12 to 18 minutes, turning halfway. I didn't have to cook
it for quite that long because the cutlets were small.
Recipe also said to remove the chicken to a serving platter and cover with a
tent of foil to keep warm, then cook until the potatoes were soft and sauce
was thickened. At this point the potatoes were done and what little sauce
there was, was thick.
Take the potatoes out of the pan and turn off the heat. Add 2 Tablespoons
butter or margarine and a teaspoon of lemon juice. Pour the sauce over.
I would think you could do this with broccoli or cauliflower instead of the
potatoes, but obviously you wouldn't want to brown those. Those would
probably cook in just a few minutes unless you like yours really soft. I
think this would be good with summer squash as well. The flavor is out of
this world!
I don't usually cook things with sauces. But this was really easy since it
was all done in one pan. And even though I am not a fan of chicken, I did
like this!
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