Braised Chicken With Prune Sauce Recipes

CHICKEN WITH PRUNES AND OLIVES

Steps:

• Combine the oil, vinegar, prunes, capers, oregano, olives, garlic, bay leaves, 1/4 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper in a large shallow baking dish. Add the chicken and turn to coat. Cover with plastic wrap and marinate at least 1 hour or overnight.
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Using a slotted spoon, remove the chicken from the marinade to a plate. Pour the marinade into a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Arrange the chicken on top, skin-side up. Sprinkle the brown sugar over the chicken breasts and pour the white wine around them.
• Bake, basting three or four times with the pan juices, until the chicken is crispy on top and cooked through, 1 hour to 1 hour 20 minutes.
• Transfer the chicken, prunes, olives and capers to a serving platter. Moisten with a few spoonfuls of the pan juices and sprinkle generously with the parsley. Pour the remaining pan juices into a sauceboat and pass with the chicken.

BRAISED CHICKEN WITH PRUNE SAUCE

Steps:

• Pat chicken thouroughly dry with paper towel and sprinkle sides with salt and pepper In a 10 to 12-inch skillet melt two tablespoons of butter and two tablespoons of oil over high heat.
• Add chicken skin-side down and reduce heat to moderate.
• Fry until sides are golden brown.
• (Don't worry if the inside is pink, we will be cooking the chicken more later) Transfer the chicken to a plate.
• Add the celery, carrot, and onion to the fat remaining in pan, stirring occasionally, and cook until the vegetables are soft but NOT brown.
• Return the chicken to the pan and lay the parsley and bay leaf on top.
• Pour in 1/2 cup of chicken broth.
• Bring to a boil over high heat.
• Lower the heat and simmer for thirty minutes, basting it from time to time with the juices in the pan Meanwhile, in a saucepan, combine 1 1/2 cups of water, the 1 1/2 cups of prunes, the lemon juice, and the sugar.
• Place on high heat.
• Bring prunes to a boil and simmer for 30 minutes or until prunes are tender.
• Preheat the oven to 250 degrees F.
• Remove the chicken from the skillet and arrange attractively on an ovenproof platter.
• Scatter the cooked prunes over the top.
• Cover the platter loosely with foil and put it into the oven.
• Press hard on the vegetables with a spoonback releasing the juices.
• Discard vegetables.
• Set juices aside.
• Melt two tablespoons of butter in the skillet and add the flour.
• Cook on high heat until flour is golden brown.
• Pour in the 1/2 cup of reserved prune juice and the 1/2 cup of reserved pan juices (if there is less then 1/2 cup, make up for it by augmenting it with the chicken broth) Boil until sauce is smooth and thickened.
• Serve at once.

BRAISED CHICKEN WITH PRUNES

Steps:

• Generously season chicken pieces with salt and pepper. Spread flour in a wide, shallow bowl, and dredge chicken until it is well coated. Shake off any excess flour.
• Place a deep sauté pan (just large enough to hold the chicken pieces in a single layer) over medium-high heat for a minute or two. Add olive oil, and heat until oil shimmers. Arrange chicken pieces in pan, skin side down, and allow to sit without being moved until undersides are browned, about 3 minutes. Turn chicken, and allow to sit again until browned, 3 to 4 minutes.
• Add vinegar, wine and prunes. Cover, and reduce heat to low. Simmer, basting occasionally, until chicken meat is tender and almost falling off the bone, about 30 minutes.
• Using a slotted spoon, transfer chicken pieces and prunes to a platter, and keep warm. Raise heat under the pan to high, and reduce pan juices for a minute or two. Pour juices over chicken pieces, and serve.