This Parfait! recipe, to me, perfectly illustrates this week’s Food For Thought quote from the most esteemed Douglas Adams in, that, in my mebbe not so humble opinion, this is the way chicken should be done. And possibly duck, too. I will get back to you on that.
Loaded with flavor, moist and tender, with a pan gravy that is pretty hard to beat, this chicken also has the advantage, with the help of modern technology, a one pan procedure!
I mean, shut the front door and call me Mildred, but that is pretty cool beans.
All you need is an electric “multi pot” – a pressure cooker, slow cooker, rice cooker, risotto and yogurt maker, combo with a couple of other buttons no doubt on the control panel.
I was able to brown my chicken, then sauté the aromatics, the pressure cooked the chicken with the aromatics, then, while the chicken was resting, brought the pan juices to a simmer and reduced them to make the gravy. This one recipe is worth the price of the pot. Add in making stock from leftover bones, and the easiest peeling hard cooked eggs you’re likely to come across, and we are talking about a multi-functional kitchen gadget.
And do not even get me started on the risotto.
Yum!
So all that said, let’s put together one. FINE. Chicken.
INGREDIENTS
•1 whole chicken (about 4 lb)
•1/2 cup peperoncini juice (from the jar)
•1/2 tsp Seasoned Salt
•1/2 tsp black pepper
•1/2 tsp Aleppo pepper
•1 tsp paprika
•1 tbsp veggie oil
•2 cups diced sweet onion (1 medium)
•1 cup diced celery
•1 cup diced carrot
•1 tbsp sliced peperoncini (from the jar)
•1 tbsp minced fresh garlic
•1/2 tsp dried rosemary
•2 tbsp flour
•1/2 cup Prosecco (or other white wine)
•3/4 cup chicken stock
•2 tbsp Sherry Peppers Sauce*
•2 tbsp unsalted butter
•1 tbsp Sherry Vinegar
•Black pepper, to taste
*No Sherry Peppers Sauce? No Problem! Simply add a bit of decent sherry (none of that “cooking” stuff) and a dash or three of your fave hot sauce, to taste.
Note: we use a cage free, vegetarian bird with no preservatives or other stuff added.
Remove the giblets from the bird and toss – or – set aside to maybe make a gluten free gravy thickener.
Drizzle the chicken, inside and out, with the oil and the peperoncini pickle juice (or, just use white vinegar) and set aside to rest for ten minutes.
Pat the chicken dry with paper towels and season, again inside and out, with the Seasoned Salt, black and Aleppo peppers, and the paprika.
Heat the oil in your pot on the “BROWN” setting until the oil begins to smoke.
Add the chicken, breast side down, and cook for four minutes.
Using a good pair of tongs, flip the bird and cook for another four minutes.
Remove to a bowl or platter, then add the onion, celery, carrot, and peperoncini to the hot liquid in the pot and cook for five minutes.
Add the garlic and rosemary and cook for about a half a minute, just until they are nicely fragrant.
Stir in the flour and cook for another 30 seconds, stirring constantly.
Note: if you want, or need to go gluten free, skip the flour at this point and I’ll have another couple of options (no additional ingredients) later on in the recipe.
Stir in the wine, scraping up any tasty crispity bits from the bottom of the pan and continue to cook on “BROWN” for about 30 more seconds.
Stir in the chicken stock and the Sherry Peppers Sauce, then place the chicken, breast side up, in the pot.
Turn your pot off, then lock the lid into place and set the timer for 25 minutes at HIGH pressure.
Note: no, your chicken will not now be ready in 25 minutes, that bit is one of the annoyances I find with most pressure cooker recipes. Your pot will need to come up to pressure before the cooking (and the timer) will start – so, plan on adding mebbe 10 to 15 more minutes to this bit.
Once the time goes off. chill! Your pot will cycle to “KEEP WARM” for 15 minutes or so; but, if you are ready for your chicken, turn the pot off, then do a quick release of the pressure (be mindful off that very hot steam).
Transfer the chicken to a platter or cutting board, cover loosely with foil, and set aside to rest while you finish the gravy.
Skim any excess fat from the top of the pot, then bring to a boil using the “SAUTÉ” setting.
Whisk in the butter and sherry vinegar (or, lemon juice will work here, too) and simmer until the gravy is as thick as you like it.
Note: you’re going no gluten? Add those giblets you didn’t toss earlier and simmer for about 30 minutes, until the giblets are well and truly done. Give the whole thing a whizzz with your immersion blender, and you should have a nicely thickened gravy.
Either way, give it a tasted and add additional salt, pepper, or sherry vinegar, if you think it needs it.
We totally enjoyed this with smashed potatoes and steamed asparagus, with the gravy over the top.
I can truthfully say that I would make this every single week, at least once, but then the chicken bones stashed in the freezer to make stock – and then, of course, the stock, would begin to overwhelm this two, full size, fridge/freezer household so I keep it down to once a month or so.
Besides, absence actually does make the heart grow fonder.
Note: my appliance is a 6 quart Fagor LUX multicooker, and I have been very happy with it. Friends have the Instant Pot and seem equally pleased, so look around and find what works best for you.