Chicken Poulet Recipes

POULET DE PROVENCAL

Steps:

• Heat olive oil and butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Mix 2 1/2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar, Dijon mustard, and garlic in a bowl and stir chicken breast halves into the mixture to coat. Transfer chicken with marinade into the skillet and cook, turning occasionally, until chicken is no longer pink inside, 5 to 8 minutes per side. Transfer chicken to a platter and keep warm.
• Pour 1/3 cup chicken stock into skillet and stir to dissolve browned bits of food from the skillet. Cook and stir shallot and mushrooms until mushrooms are tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in 1/3 cup chicken stock, herbes de Provence, and 1 1/2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar. Cook, stirring occasionally, until mushrooms are deep brown in color, about 2 minutes.
• Return chicken breasts to pan and top each with 1/2 slice of provolone cheese. Cover skillet and let cheese melt; serve with mushrooms.

POULET RôTI (ROAST CHICKEN)

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
• Rinse and pat chicken dry.
• If your chicken has a neck and giblets, put them in a small pot, cover with water and a little onion (dry onion or powder work too) and carrots if you have them and a little the same herbs used in the chicken, bring to a boil and then simmer for about an hour, strain this and use for your gravy for extra flavor - you can also cook in canned low sodium chicken broth, for more flavor.
• Mix together all your herbs and spices, rub together with your fingers or if you have a mortar and pestle, grind them a few times to blend.
• Gently lift the skin from either side of the breast and using your finger push some of the herb mix under each side.
• Turn over the chicken and make a small slit behind each thigh and push some herb mix under the thigh skin (this step is optional, but it makes the thighs extra tasty).
• Place you chicken in a roasting pan that has been sprayed or lightly oiled, if roasting a single chicken, a cast iron frying pan is perfect for this.
• If using the olive, rub or drizzle over the chicken then, rub or sprinkle extra herb mix all over the outside of the chicken (do this even without the oil, a little extra salt and pepper in the cavity is also a good thing.
• You have 2 options, #1 - turn the chicken breast side down on a rack that has also been sprayed or oiled, half way through cooking turn breast up; #2 - cook the entire time breast up, the breast skin usually tears for me so I do #2, but #1 can make the breast meat a little moister.
• Roast for 1- 11/2 hours or until chicken register 180 degrees on your meat thermometer (if you use a larger chicken adjust time accordingly), be sure and poke a thick part of the chicken meat and don't get too near the bone. Length of time will vary with chicken size.
• Check chicken at an hour, herbs and spice on top are getting too dark loosely tent top with a piece of foil (spray first).
• When done, place chicken on platter and let rest for 5- 10 minutes while you make the gravy. Drain off excess fat and make your gravy.
• NOTE: Some people like to tie the legs together with kitchen twine, it does look nicer but I never bother.
• I've been know to roast chicken anywhere from 375-450 degrees, 400- 425 is my norm, I decide what to use based on my schedule of when I need to put it in the oven. Lower temp mean slightly longer cooking time.

CHICKEN POULET

Steps:

• Melt stick of margarine in cup of water by heating in the microwave. Place stuffing mix in bowl. Pour water and margarine over and stir. Add 2 eggs and chicken broth, stir.
• In separate bowl, combine shredded chicken, mayo, and onions. Stir well.
• Place ½ of stuffing mix in bottom of a 9x13 pan. Top with all of chicken mixture. Dash salt over chicken. Top with remaining stuffing mix. Beat together remaining two eggs and milk. Pour over mixture in pan. Cover and place in refrigerator for at least eight hours.
• Before baking, remove cover and spread cream of mushroom soup over top. Place in 350 oven, uncovered, and bake for 45 minutes. Remove from oven and top with shredded cheese. Return for another five minutes, or until cheese is melted.

CHICKEN FRICASSEE (FRICASSEE DE POULET A L'ANCIENNE)

Steps:

• Brown ChickenSeason chicken on both sides with 1 tablespoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Preheat a Dutch oven or other large heavy pot over medium-high heat. Add 2 tablespoons butter and the oil to pot. When butter melts and foam subsides, add half the chicken, skin side down, in a single layer; do not crowd pot. (If butter begins to blacken, lower heat.) Fry chicken, turning once, until golden brown on both sides, about 10 minutes total, and transfer to a plate. Repeat with remaining chicken.
• Saute MirepoixReduce heat to medium, and add mirepoix (onion, carrot, and celery) to pot, scraping up any browned bits with a wooden spoon. Saute mirepoix, stirring occasionally, until soft and golden brown in places, 8 to 10 minutes.
• Cook Mushrooms and FlourAdd mushrooms, and cook, stirring occasionally, until mushrooms darken, become glossy, and begin to release liquid, 4 to 5 minutes. Stir in flour, and cook until flour is absorbed by vegetables and is no longer visible, about 1 minute.
• Pour in Wine and BrothAdd wine to pot, and bring to a boil, stirring until liquid just thickens, about 45 seconds. Add broth, and stir.
• Simmer ChickenPlace chicken, skin side up, in a single layer on vegetables; pour juices that have accumulated on plate into pot. Tie parsley sprigs, thyme sprigs, and bay leaf together with kitchen twine; add to pot. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Cover partially. Cook until internal temperature of thickest part of chicken registers 165 degrees, 25 to 30 minutes. Transfer chicken to a clean plate. Simmer liquid, uncovered, until reduced slightly, about 5 minutes. Discard herbs.
• Make and Add LiaisonTo make the liaison (sauce thickener), whisk together egg yolks and cream in a medium bowl. Whisking constantly, pour 1/2 cup cooking liquid, 1 tablespoon at a time, into liaison to temper it. Stir tempered liaison into pot.
• Finish with Tarragon, Lemon, and ButterReturn chicken to pot. Add tarragon, lemon juice, and the remaining butter. Bring to a simmer, stir gently to combine, and serve.

CHICKEN NORMANDY (ESCALOPE DE POULET A LA NORMANDE)

Steps:

• Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Pan-sear chicken breasts in the hot oil until lightly browned, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Remove chicken breasts from the skillet.
• Add drained mushrooms to the pan juices in the skillet and cook until they start to pop, about 5 minutes.
• Whisk together cream, egg yolk, Dijon mustard, salt, and pepper in a small bowl; pour into the skillet with the mushrooms. Return chicken breasts to the skillet and simmer over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally to prevent the egg yolk from setting, until chicken is no longer pink in the center and the juices run clear, 15 to 20 minutes. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center of the chicken breast should read at least 165 degrees F (74 degrees C).
• Serve with cooked white rice.

POULET EN COCOTTE (CHICKEN IN A POT)

Steps:

• 1. For the Brine Place the salt and sugar into a bowl large enough to contain the water/wine and the chicken, and can fit into your refrigerator. Mix until all of the ingredients are absorbed into the water. Immerse the chicken into the brine, and place the bowl into the refrigerator for about three hours.
• 2. Chef's Note: What is brining? Brining meats before cooking them is a very effective way to increase the moisture and tenderness of the meat. Brining is similar to marinating, but uses a simpler liquid for soaking the meat. The process of soaking meat in salted water causes the meat's cells to absorb some of the water through osmosis, making it moister when cooked. What about that sugar? Sugar, while not essential to a brine, is a useful ingredient. Adding sugar to a brine will increase the amount of caramelization achieved when cooking the chicken. A good rule of thumb is to add the same amount of sugar by volume as salt. Kosher versus Table Salt When it come to brining, kosher and table salt to about the same thing... So why the difference in measurement? Well, kosher salt has a larger grain than table salt, so there is more air between the salt particles. When you use 1 cup of kosher salt, or 1/2 cut of table salt, you're basically getting the same amount of salt.
• 3. Adjust oven rack to lowest position and heat oven to 250f (120c).
• 4. Remove the chicken from the brine, and pat dry with paper towels, or a clean kitchen towel, and then season with some salt and pepper. Chef's Note: If you're using a kitchen towel (my method) make sure that you immediately throw that towel into the wash, and don't use it for anything else.
• 5. Heat the oil in a large dutch oven, over medium heat, until the oil just begins to shimmer, and throws off wisps of smoke.
• 6. Place the chicken, breast-side up in the dutch oven, and scatter onion, celery, and bay leaf around the chicken.
• 7. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the veggies are browned... As well as the bottom of the chicken. This should take from 8 to 10 minutes.
• 8. Place the lid on the dutch oven, and put in the preheated oven, and bake until an instant-read thermometer hits 160f (71c) when inserted into the thickest part of the breast. This should take from 80 to 110 minutes. Chef's Note: Make sure that the probe is not hitting any bone.
• 9. Transfer chicken to carving board, tent loosely with foil, and allow to rest for 20 minutes. Chef's Note: Allowing the chicken to rest will help to redistribute the juices that have been hiding out inside the chicken.
• 10. While the chicken is resting... Strain the chicken juices from the dutch oven through a strainer into a fat separator Press on the solids to extract as much liquid as possible. Discard solids, and that should leave you about 1cup of liquid. Allow liquid to settle about 5 minutes, then remove the fat from the liquid, and then pour into a small saucepan. Set saucepan over low heat, and allow to slowly simmer for about 10 minutes. Chef's Note: Since the chicken is resting for 20 minutes, this should give you ample time to de-fat and simmer the chicken juices. Chef's Note: This is a simple dish, so these juices are not, technically, defined as a sauce... they are just warmed up juices from the chicken, but OH are they packed with flavor.
• 11. Carve the chicken, and serve with the a jus (juices), at the table.
• 12. Serving Suggestions: This is just the main course. You can serve this dish with any number of sides. How about some long-grain white rice, or some smashed golden potatoes. I've made this for clients by using a bed of cheesy garlic mashed potatoes, placed the carved chicken on top, and then drizzled some of the a jus over the top. For a veggie, I might use garden fresh green beans, or maybe some steamed broccoli. Enjoy Keep the faith, and keep cooking...