Chicken With Caramelized Baby Onions And Honey Recipes

CHICKEN W/ CARAMELIZED BABY ONIONS & HONEY (DJAJ BIL ASSAL)

Steps:

• To peel shallots or baby onions, blanch them in boiling water for 5 minutes, drain, and when cool enough to handle, peel off the skins and trim the root ends.
• Sautee the chopped onion until softened in the oil over a medium heat in a pan or casserole large enough to hold the chicken pieces in one layer. Stir in the saffron, ginger, cinnamon, then put in the chicken pieces. Season with salt and pepper, and turn to brown them lightly all over.
• Add about 1 cup of water and cook, covered, over a low heat, turning the pieces over, for about 15 min or until the chicken breasts are done. Lift out the breasts and put them to one side. Add the shallots or baby onions and continue to cook, covered, for about 25 minutes, or until the remaining chicken pieces are very tender. During the cooking, turn the pieces and stir the onions occasionally; add a little water, if necessary.
• Lift out the chicken pieces and set to one side. Stir the honey into the pan. Check the seasoning. You need quite a bit of pepper to mitigate the sweetness. Cook, uncovered, until all the water is evaporated and the onions are brown, caramelized, and so soft that you could crush them.(As they say in Morocco, "with your tongue".).
• Return the chicken pieces to the pan, spoon the onions on top of them, and heat through. A few minutes should be enough. Serve, if you wish, sprinkled either with blanched almonds fried in a drop of oil until they are lightly golden, or with toasted sesame seeds.

CHICKEN WITH CARAMELISED BABY ONIONS AND PEARS

Steps:

• Melt the butter in a non-stick pan over a medium heat, add 1 tablespoon of sunflower oil and sauté the pear quarters until they are lightly coloured, then set aside.
• Blanch the eschalots or baby onions in boiling water for 5 minutes, and drain. When they are cool enough to handle, peel the eschalots and trim the root ends.
• Sauté the eschallots in a little sunflower oil, in a non-stick pan (you can use the same pan as you used to sauté the pears) over a medium heat, shaking the pan and turning the eschalots until they are browned and caramelized on all sides.
• Remove the eschalots from the pan and drain them on paper kitchen towelling.
• Add 3-4 tablespoons of oil to a casserole pot large enough to include the chicken pieces, pears and eschalots, and sauté the chopped onion over a medium heat until it begins to soften; then add the chicken pieces and lightly brown them on all sides. Season to taste.
• Add 1 cup of water, and stir in the saffron threads, ginger and cinnamon, and cook, covered, over a low heat, turning the pieces over several times, for 10-15 minutes or until the breasts are cooked.
• Remove the breasts, set aside and keep warm.
• Add the caramelised eschalots to the pot.
• If the pear quarters are still firm (see also step 14), add them to the pot now and continue to cook, covered, over a low heat, for 25 minutes or until the remaining chicken pieces are very tender, turning occasionally, and adding a little more water if it is needed.
• Lift the chicken pieces out, set aside with the breasts, and keep warm.
• Stir the honey into the pot and check the seasoning. You will need quite a bit of pepper to balance the sweetness.
• Cook uncovered to reduce the sauce if necessary, until the sauce has the consistency of thick jam.
• Return all the chicken pieces to the pot and heat through.
• If the pears were soft enough after they were sautéed, add them at this point. A few minutes heating should be enough.
• If you are serving this dish with blanched almonds, lightly toast the almonds under the grill or dry sauté them in a non-stick pan (or you can add a drop of oil).
• Serve over rice, noodles or couscous.

SKILLET CHICKEN WITH MUSHROOMS AND CARAMELIZED ONIONS

Steps:

• In a large mixing bowl, combine 2 tablespoons oil, 2 tablespoons vinegar, the honey, mustard, red-pepper flakes and 1 teaspoon salt; whisk until smooth. Pat the chicken dry and season with salt and pepper, then add to the mixture, coating it well. Set aside at room temperature, stirring it once while you make the onions.
• Heat a 12-inch cast-iron or heavy skillet over medium-high until very hot, 1 1/2 to 2 minutes, then add the onions in an even layer. Season with salt, then cook, mostly undisturbed, for 4 minutes more, stirring every minute or so. Add the mushrooms, season with salt, and stir to combine. (It will look crowded, and that's OK.) Allow to cook mostly undisturbed until the mushrooms shrink and start to brown, about 4 minutes, stirring every minute or so.
• Stir in the remaining 3 tablespoons olive oil and allow the onions to cook until they start to color, stirring and lowering the heat as necessary to avoid burning, about 2 minutes. Push the onions and mushrooms to the edges of the skillet, then add the chicken pieces to the center. Pour any remaining marinade (there will be very little) over the onions and mushrooms. Cook undisturbed for 4 to 5 minutes, then combine the chicken and vegetables and cook, stirring occasionally, until the chicken is cooked through, about 10 minutes more. (Reduce the heat to medium if the onions look like they are burning at any point.)
• Add the remaining 2 teaspoons sherry vinegar, stirring and scraping up anything on the bottom of the skillet. Season to taste with salt.
• Remove from the heat and top with the parsley and cheese, if using. Serve with bread or pasta.

CHICKEN WITH CARAMELIZED BABY ONIONS AND QUINCES

Steps:

• Start with the quinces, as they take a long time to cook. Wash and scrub 2 quinces, then boil them whole for about 1 hour, or until they feel soft. The time varies greatly depending on their size and degree of ripeness, so watch them and don't let them fall apart. Drain them, and when the chicken is nearly ready, cut them into quarters and cut away the cores, but do not peel them. Then cut each quarter in half so you end up with fat slices.
• Fry the slices in shallow sunflower or vegetable oil until they are brown on the cut sides. This gives them a delicious caramelized taste. Lift them out and drain on paper towels. Serve the chicken surrounded by the quince slices.

ROASTED CHICKEN WITH CARAMELIZED ONIONS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400°F. Bring garlic cloves and milk to boil in heavy medium saucepan over high heat. Drain. Discard milk. Transfer garlic cloves to 8x8x2-inch metal baking pan. Add 3 tablespoons oil and toss to coat. Roast until golden, about 13 minutes. Cool slightly. Transfer garlic with its cooking oil to processor; blend to form paste. Season to taste with salt and pepper. (Garlic paste can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate.)
• Melt butter and 1 tablespoon oil in heavy large skillet over medium-low heat. Add onions and sauté until golden brown, stirring occasionally, about 40 minutes. Add vinegar, thyme, and bay leaf. Simmer until liquid is reduced by half, about 3 minutes. Stir in cream. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
• Meanwhile, preheat oven to 450°F. Heat remaining 3 tablespoons oil in heavy large nonstick skillet over high heat. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper. Working in 2 batches, add chicken, skin side down, to skillet and cook until skin is golden brown (do not turn), about 4 minutes. Place chicken, skin side up, on large rimmed baking sheet. Roast until chicken is cooked through and juices run clear when thigh is pierced with knife, about 20 minutes. Spread garlic paste atop chicken halves, dividing equally. Bake until golden brown, about 5 minutes longer.
• Rewarm onions over medium-low heat, stirring often. Spoon onions in center of 4 plates. Place chicken halves atop onions. Sprinkle with parsley; serve.

ROASTED CHICKEN WITH CARAMELIZED ONIONS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400°; bring garlic and milk to boil; drain and discard milk; in a small metal baking pan toss garlic with 1 T oil; roast 13 minutes or until golden; cool a bit and put the garlic and it's cooking oil in a food processor; process to a paste; sprinkle with salt and pepper and set aside.
• Saute the onions in the butter and 1 T oil over medium-low heat; cook until golden, about 40 minutes; add vinegar, thyme and bay leaf and simmer until liquid is reduced by half, about 3 minutes; stir in cream and salt and pepper; set aside.
• While the onions are sauteing, preheat the oven to 450°; heat the remaining 1 T of oil in a large skillet; salt and pepper the chicken; place skin side down in skillet and cook until golden brown on one side only, about 4 minutes.
• Place chicken, skin side up, on a rimmed baking sheet and roast until internal temperature is 180°; spread garlic paste atop chicken pieces and bake another 5 minutes, until golden brown.
• Rewarm onions over medium-low heat; to serve plate onions and place 2 pieces of chicken atop them; garnish with parsley.