Spring Chicken Niçoise Recipes

CHICKEN NIçOISE

Steps:

• Heat 1/4 cup of the wine to boiling in 10-inch nonstick skillet. Cook chicken in wine, turning once, until brown. Remove chicken from skillet; keep warm.
• Add garlic, onions, Italian seasoning, bell peppers, olives and remaining 1 cup wine to skillet. Heat to boiling; boil 5 minutes.
• Add chicken to skillet; reduce heat to medium. Cook 10 to 15 minutes or until juice is no longer pink when centers of thickest pieces are cut. Serve over rice.

CHICKEN NIçOISE

Steps:

• Remove any visible fat from chicken. In 10-inch nonstick skillet, heat 1/4 cup of the wine to boiling. Add chicken; cook, turning once, until brown. Remove chicken from skillet; keep warm.
• In same skillet, heat bell peppers, olives, garlic, onions, Italian seasoning, and remaining 1 cup wine to boiling. Boil 5 minutes.
• Add chicken; reduce heat to medium. Cook 10 to 15 minutes or until juice of chicken is no longer pink when center of thickest piece is cut (170°F for breasts; 180°F for thighs). Serve over rice.

CHICKEN NICOISE SALAD

Steps:

• Add the potatoes to a pot and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil and simmer until tender, about 5 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon (let the water continue to boil) and let cool slightly.
• Prepare an ice water bath. Add the haricot verts to the boiling water, blanch briefly and transfer to the water bath to stop the cooking process. Drain, then cut into 2-inch pieces. Slice the potatoes 1/4 inch thick.
• Arrange the lettuce on a platter. Top with separate mounds of the potatoes, haricot verts, tomatoes, eggs and chicken, then drizzle with the Mustard Vinaigrette. Season all with salt and pepper. Garnish with the olives.
• In a mixing bowl, combine the oil, vinegar, mustard, garlic and shallot. Whisk until emulsified. Season with salt and pepper.

CHICKEN PICCATA WITH NIçOISE OLIVES

Steps:

• In a large sieve rinse olives and drain well. Pit olives and cut into slivers. With a sharp knife butterfly each chicken breast half by horizontally cutting through meat, keeping 1 long side intact, and opening like a book. With a rolling pin lightly pound chicken between sheets of plastic wrap to about 1/8 inch thick. Pat chicken dry and season with salt and pepper.
• In a 12-inch heavy skillet heat oil and 2 tablespoons butter over moderately high heat until foam subsides and sauté chicken, 1 piece at a time, until golden and just cooked through, about 30 seconds on each side. Transfer chicken as sautéed with tongs to a platter and keep warm, loosely covered with foil.
• Pour off any fat in skillet. Add wine and deglaze skillet over moderately high heat, scraping up brown bits. Stir in lemon juice and remaining 2 tablespoons butter and heat sauce, swirling skillet, until butter is just incorporated. Remove skillet from heat and stir in olives, parsley, and salt and pepper to taste.
• Spoon sauce over chicken.

CHICKEN BREASTS NICOISE

Steps:

• Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat.
• When hot, add the breasts; saute until well browned on both sides, 3 to 4 minutes per side.
• Remove and set aside.
• Add the onion and saute until softened, 3 to 4 minutes; add the garlic and continue to cook until fragrant, 30 seconds to 1 minute.
• Add the tomatoes with their juice and crush lightly with a fork.
• Add the olives, red wine, broth, Pernod, if using, and herbes do Provence.
• Cook until reduced and thickened slightly, 8 to 10 minutes.
• Return the breasts to the skillet; reduce the heat to low.
• Cook, covered, turning once, until the chicken is no longer pink in the thickest portion when cut with a knife, 3 to 4 minutes per side.
• I like to serve this with rice and steamed runner beans.