The Cross and the Cleaver: Chicken Anyone?
“Waste not – want not” goes the saying most of us are familiar with. I have been working on being less wasteful by monitoring the pantry and freezer; by planning the meals according to “what’s at home.”
There is always enough in there to have a variety of exciting meals, with one ingredient always present … CHICKEN! Apparently, one should not give away one’s secrets but … I love chicken, I could be bribed with chicken (especially the legs😉). Now you know.
My earliest memory of chicken is from my early childhood. Times were tough and the number of spices in the cupboard could probably be counted on one hand. My father, as a well-regarded engineer, frequently travelled to “the West.” That enabled him to bring home “foreign” and “exotic” toys, food, and spices. In 1979, having a Matchbox© or Majorette© car sure made me the talk of the playground😊! Upon one of his returns I saw, for the first time, a mandarin orange with green leaves still attached.
Back to the chicken. Dad once brough home a box of nothing fancy, ordinary, generic, no-brand-name curry powder. Like the one you can get at almost any supermarket. Now, we knew the idea of curry, we knew how to pronounce it (sort-of). The taste, however, was a mystery …. until mum made chicken curry. Well, again, sort of. Let me explain. The chicken (or sometimes duck) was rubbed all over with the curry powder and roasted in the oven. Occasionally, during that process, it was basted with curry infused fat and juices gathering at the bottom of the roasting pan. For you and me, nowadays, it might not sound like anything special. But for the company my parents would invite for such dinner it was a treat, it was the dish they talked about afterwards with their friends and neighbours. It was something they wanted to be invited to again and again. I guess that is how my love for chicken began and continues to this day.
I have shared with you before the recipe for chicken tagine utilizing generic curry powder. Not so long ago, there was boiled chicken dinner suggestion. Today I would like to share with you my version of chicken cacciatore, or chasseur … ish. I intentionally write “ish” because the whole thing depends on what’s at home for ingredients.
Let’s get plucking …. I mean cooking:
6-8 chicken pieces like drumsticks, thighs, cut-up legs (breasts or whole chicken is way too expensive for that IMHO). Season with salt and pepper, then dust with flour (or not) and fry in oil, in a large heavy bottomed pot, until golden brown. Set it aside.
Into the same pan throw in a large, chopped onion, chopped celery stick, and chopped carrot or two. Add chopped bell pepper if you have one (of whatever colour). Sauté for about 5 minutes and add a generous cup of chopped mushrooms of your choice (can will do if you don’t feel like going shopping). Season generously with Italian blend or with Herbes de Provence. Or with Mrs. Dash© if that’s all you have.
Add a cup of chicken stock, or beef, or veg, or white wine, or red wine, or apple-juice to the pan, scraping the bits from the bottom.
Top up with fried chicken, then add a large can of chopped tomatoes (with all the liquid). Cover and simmer for approx. 45 minutes.
Sprinkle with chopped parsley and serve with polenta, broad noodles, or mashed potatoes.
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