Chicken With Saffron Raisins Pine Nuts Recipes

CHICKEN WITH RAISINS

Steps:

• Place raisins in a bowl, add brandy and set aside to plump overnight or for at least 8 hours.
• Make the chicken: Dry chicken pieces. Heat oil in a sauté pan on medium-high, add chicken, skin side down, season with salt and pepper, and sear until golden brown, 6 to 8 minutes. Turn pieces and brown second side. Scatter shallots over chicken. Add verjus to the pan, cover, reduce heat to low and cook 15 to 20 minutes, basting chicken once, until chicken is cooked through.
• Remove chicken to a dish and cover to keep warm. Add raisins with their brandy to the pan, bring to a simmer for a couple of minutes, then add glace de viande and crème fraîche. Cook for several minutes, until the sauce thickens enough to coat a spoon.
• Return chicken to the pan, baste with the sauce, then transfer the contents of the pan to a warm, rimmed platter and serve.

CHICKEN TAGINE WITH APRICOTS AND SPICED PINE NUTS

Steps:

• Make tagine:
• Cut out and reserve wings and backbone from chicken. Cut breast in half through bone, then cut off legs and cut to separate into thighs and drumsticks (for a total of 6 serving pieces, not including wings and backbone). Pat chicken pieces dry and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon salt.
• Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over medium heat until it shimmers, then brown chicken breasts, skin sides down, without turning, 5 minutes. Transfer to a plate. Brown thighs and legs, turning once, 8 to 10 minutes, transferring to plate. Brown wings and backbone in same manner.
• Cook shallots in butter with remaining tablespoon oil in a 5- to 6-quart heavy pot over medium heat, stirring frequently, until soft, 8 to 10 minutes. Add garlic, ginger, turmeric, and paprika and cook, stirring, 3 minutes.
• Add chicken with any juices from plate, saffron (if using), and 1/2 teaspoon salt to shallot mixture and turn chicken to coat. Add water and bring to a boil, covered, then cook at a bare simmer, covered, 30 minutes.
• Turn chicken and add orange preserves, cinnamon stick, thyme, cilantro sprigs, and apricots. Simmer, covered, 10 minutes. Uncover and simmer until chicken is very tender, 10 to 15 minutes more.
• Brown pine nuts while chicken cooks:
• Heat oil in a small heavy skillet over medium heat until it shimmers, then stir in pine nuts, turmeric, paprika, and cayenne (if using) and cook, stirring frequently, until nuts are lightly browned, 1 to 2 minutes (watch carefully; they burn easily). Transfer to a small bowl.
• To serve:
• Transfer chicken to a platter and keep warm, covered. If sauce is not thick, boil, stirring occasionally, until reduced to about 1 cup. Discard herb sprigs, cinnamon stick, wings, and backbone. Stir in chopped cilantro and spoon sauce over chicken. Sprinkle with nuts.
• What to drink:
• Chateau Reynella McLaren Vale Grenache '04

CHICKEN WITH SAFFRON RICE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350.
• Season chicken with salt and pepper. In Dutch oven over medium-high heat, warm 1 tablespoon oil.
• Brown chicken in batches, 7-8 minutes per batch.
• Transfer to plate. Discard fat; wipe out pot.
• In same pot over medium heat, warm 1 tablespoon oil.
• Cook onion, bell pepper, saffron and red pepper flakes abut 10 minutes.
• Add garlic; cook 30 seconds.
• Add sherry; cook 1 minute. Add chicken, broth tomatoes and juices. Bring to simmer, reduce heat to medium-low, cover and cook 20 minutes.
• Add rice, olives, 1 1/4 teaspoon salt and black pepper. Increase heat to medium-high; bring to simmer. Cover, bake in oven 30 minutes; stirring once halfway through.
• Let stand 10 minutes.
• Sprinkle with parsley.

PINE NUT-SAFFRON PILAF

Steps:

• Heat the EVOO in a sauce pot over medium heat. Add the nuts and toast until lightly golden, then remove and reserve.
• Melt the butter in the pot, then add the broken pasta and toast to golden. Stir in the saffron and rice, then add the stock. Bring to a boil, stir in the raisins, then cover and simmer for 17 to 18 minutes, until the liquid has been absorbed and the pasta and rice are tender.
• Fluff the pilaf with a fork and stir in the reserved nuts. Serve immediately.

CHICKEN BRAISED WITH POTATOES AND PINE NUTS

Steps:

• In a Dutch oven large enough to hold the chicken in one layer, heat the olive oil over high until shimmering. Season chicken pieces on the skin side with salt and pepper, then lay them in the pan, skin-side down. Adjust the heat so they sizzle but do not pop or scorch. Cook until skin is deeply browned and comes away easily from the pan, about 10 minutes. Remove and set aside.
• Add onions, celery and garlic to the fat in the pot, season with salt and cook, stirring until softened, about 5 minutes, scraping up the browned bits at the bottom of the pan. Deglaze with the wine and vinegar. Stir in 1/2 cup water, pine nuts, bay leaves, cloves and saffron (if using). Return the chicken pieces to the pan, and nestle them into the liquid, skin-side up.
• Cover tightly and let cook undisturbed over the lowest possible heat until cooked through, about 45 minutes.
• Add the potatoes, then add more water until the liquid barely covers the potatoes. If in doubt, use less; you can always add more. Cover again and cook another 20 minutes.
• When ready to serve, gently reheat. Taste the cooking liquid and season with salt, pepper and a drop more vinegar if needed. Stir in the kale and simmer, uncovered, until completely cooked through, about 5 minutes. Stir in butter and parsley and serve, sprinkling each serving with more parsley.