Amelia Saltsman shows us how to make an easy one pot meal -- chicken in a pot. Amelia is the author of The Santa Monica Farmers Market Cookbook.
Amelia Saltsman’s Chicken in a Pot
Serves 4 to 6
1 oz dried porcini mushrooms, optional
1 large onion, chopped
3 carrots, finely chopped
2 Tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tablespoons finely chopped fresh herbs, such as rosemary or parsley
2 to 3 bay leaves
1 3 1/2-lb chicken, patted dry
3 or 4 sundried tomatoes, snipped in small pieces, or 2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 cup wine (red or white)
1 to 2 cups chicken stock or water
Kosher or sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Soak mushrooms in 1 cup boiling water until softened, about 15 minutes. Drain and reserve liquid. Cut mushrooms into bite-size pieces. Strain liquid through fine-mesh sieve lined with paper towel or coffee filter.
Meanwhile, in a large, wide pot over medium-low heat, sauté the onions and carrots in the olive oil with a little salt until softened and onion translucent but not browned, about 7 minutes. Stir in garlic, herbs, and bay leaves. Season chicken inside and out with salt. Push vegetables to the sides of the pot and place chicken in middle of pot, breast side up. Turn heat to medium and cook until vegetables are tender and chicken is starting to sizzle and get fragrant, 10 to 12 minutes.
Add wine to vegetables and stir. Cook until wine has reduced by half. Add mushrooms, tomatoes, reserved mushroom liquid, if using or 1 cup stock, and a few grindings of pepper. The liquid in the pot will be about 1 inch deep. Turn heat to low, cover pot, and cook the chicken at a very gentle simmer until it is very, very tender, about 1 to 1 1/4 hours. As the chicken cooks, pan juices will increase. Add additional stock or water as needed so that juices are at a depth of at least 2 inches. Baste chicken occasionally with pan juices. Adjust seasonings and discard bay leaves. Cut or pull chicken into serving size portions and serve with mashed potatoes, polenta, or 1/2 pound egg pasta, such as pappardelle or garganelli.
© 2009, Amelia Saltsman.
Jim Russell brings in fresh, raw Macadamia nuts from Fallbrook. These nuts are hard to crack but when you do they are sweet and crispy and not at all like the greasy, canned nuts you find in stores.
Music Break: Last Of The Red Hot Llamas by Baja Marimba Band