Chicken Sauté Variations

I call this recipe Vermillion Coast Chicken; as Provence has its Côte d’Azur, the Languedoc has its Côte Vermeille (Vermillion coast). This is the historical centre of artists and has a very strong Spanish Catalonian influence as this whole region was once part of Spain.

Red peppers and green olives give this sauté chicken dish a delicious taste of Catalonia with Vermouth adding a layer of background complexity; great for when you have good friends in the kitchen, who don’t mind a bit of hands on action. I love to do this dish then as you can prepare the ingredients in advance and complete the cooking while catching up over a glass or two of wine. No extra vegetables are necessary with this dish but if you like serve some simple French beans or courgettes.

Tips for Success

Absolutely essential is to choose the best quality chicken that you can find, a free range bird (preferably of French origin)will be excellent. 'Label Rouge' is a good reliable French producer. Never us a battery hen; it will be tasteless and mushy.
Cut the excess fat off the chcken pieces.
Use a good well flavoured chicken stock.
Brown the chicken all over in hot oil until golden brown before adding any liquid; this will maximise flavour.
Don't overcook the chicken as this will dry it out. Prick the pieces with a sharp knife in the thickest parts - if the juice is clear, it is done. Smaller pieces will cook faster than larger ones, so test and take them out in batches.
Taste the sauce before serving and adjust seasoning to taste.
See my tips for flour thickened French sauces before making this recipe.

Ingredients (Serves 6):

1 large free range chicken cut into serving pieces or 9 chicken portions (a mix of thigh and breast)
4 tbsp olive oil
150 ml dry white Vermouth (preferably Noilly Prat, but any other kind is OK).
200 ml chicken stock
4 cloves garlic, chopped
2 strips orange peel
3 skinned red peppers from a jar
Pinch chilli flakes
¼ tsp coriander seeds, ¼ tsp fennel seeds, roughly crushed in a pestle and mortar
100 g pitted green olives; soaked in water while you prepare the recipe
250 g tomato Passata
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tbsp flour
Salt and pepper, continental parsley
20 g butter, chopped, to finish the sauce

Method:

Salt and pepper the chicken and in a large frying pan, brown it on all sides in hot olive oil. Remove to a plate.

Add the chopped garlic, chili, crushed coriander and fennel seeds to the hot pan and cook until the garlic tinges here and there with brown. Add the flour and stir in for a moment, then add the Passata, chicken stock and the Vermouth, thyme and orange peel. Return the chicken pieces to the pan. Cook for 15 minutes and then add the red peppers and the drained green olives. Cook for a further 5 minutes, the chicken should now be done. Test by pricking it with a sharp knife in the thickest part, the juices should run clear.

(The dish may be prepared in advance and kept warm for up to 45 minutes at this point; finish the sauce before serving. Any longer and the chicken will lose its ‘just cooked’ freshness. Do not freeze)

If the sauce is too thin, remove the chicken to a serving dish sprinkling with chopped parsley, and reduce the sauce until it is coating consistency. Remove any fat. Carefully whisk in the enriching butter so as not break up the peppers and olives, adjusting seasoning before pouring over the chicken. Serve with rice pilaf.

Variations:

Sautéed chicken is a real French classic and comes in many guises. It is immensely useful to know how to make. Here are two regional specialties with the same Master recipe.

Complete the initial browning of the chicken in the olive oil.

South of France Herbs and Vermouth

The sauce in this variation is highly flavoured; it coats the final chicken pieces deliciously.

150 ml Vermouth (preferably Noilly Prat)
200 ml chicken stock
1 tbsp flour
4 cloves garlic, chopped
3 egg yolks
4 tbsp finely chopped herbs (a mix of: basil, tarragon and parsley)
1 tbsp lemon juice
3 tbsp olive oil
Salt and pepper

Method:

Add the garlic to the pan, fry until lightly tinged with brown, add the flour and stir in for a moment and then return the chicken pieces to the pan, adding the Vermouth and the chicken stock. When the chicken is done remove it from the pan and keep warm. Degrease the sauce. In a small bowl, whisk the egg yolks with the lemon juice and drip in the tbsp olive oil drop by drop, whisking constantly as if you are making mayonnaise. After the first tsp of oil has been absorbed you can add the rest a bit more quickly. Whisk the hot sauce in tbsp at a time until a ¼ has been added, then tip the egg mixture into the hot pan, adding the chopped herbs. Warm the sauce through, whisking constantly until it is sticky and coating the back of the spoon. Do not boil it or it will curdle.

Fennel, Garlic and Anchovy

The anchovy melts away and all fishiness disappears; a nice recipe.

2 fennel bulbs sliced into eighths, 2 tbsp olive oil, and 100 ml chicken stock.
4 cloves garlic, chopped
150 ml white wine
200 ml chicken stock
1 tbsp flour
2 tbsp tomato puree
12 anchovy fillets
40 g butter
1 tbsp lemon juice
½ tsp fennel seeds, crushed in a pestle and mortar
1 tbsp Pastis
1 tbsp chopped fennel or dill
20 g butter, chopped, to finish the sauce.

Method:

While the chicken is browning, brown the fennel gently in the oil on all sides in a separate pan with the olive oil then add the stock and braise with the lid on until the fennel is tender. Keep warm until the chicken is cooked. Add the garlic to the pan, fry until lightly tinged with brown, add the flour, crushed fennel seeds and anchovies and stir in for a minute until the fishy smell has gone and then return the chicken pieces to the pan, adding the wine, tomato puree and the chicken stock. When the chicken is done remove it from the pan and keep warm, arranged on a serving platter with the fennel. Degrease the sauce.

Boil down hard and whisk in the lemon juice, Pastis and butter until emulsified. Pour over the chicken and fennel, scatter with the chopped herbs.