November was quite the hayride, combined with a downhill slalom ride due to the environmental stress of hurricane threats and the battle for the political rosters in DC. Anger, annoyance, antagonism, angst, animosity, anxiety and angst – and that’s just the A’s.
There is a way to combat the November cycle of agita – eat easily prepared comfort food like this French classic farmer’s fare. You know the drill we all go through. Stress or angst can somehow trigger that second run to the freezer while infected with Haagen-Dazs syndrome, which has hit me hard a few times. Terrible guilt follows, making a double run to finish off both pints of mango and pineapple-coconut while waiting to start prepping for hurricane preparedness status. Ach du lieber himmel!
Like with a previous column, I suggest reducing freezer content to frozen dinners that can thaw and keep the hurricane cooler cool. This chicken dish is one of those that serve well to act as ice containers for the spoilable items you place in your hurricane cooler.
Chicken Chasseur ingredients
Chicken thighs are a fave for this Latvian master chef. I always think about incorporating a few more healthy food groups into my cuisine as well. The beauty of this dish is that most of the healthy vegetable elements are added at the end to keep their vitality. Julia Child would have said, “Don’t forget the giblets,” but not in this case. This is all about being a thigh master.
For this simple peasant food, one can use a whole 2.5-3 lb. chicken chopped into manageable pieces but I prefer the moisture and savoriness of thigh meat. Yes, I’m a thigh man. Your call for the bird because we all know that prices are always going up and up according to the candidates’ spiels. That free-range-corn-fed-insect-pecking non-GMO pullet isn’t getting any discounted markdown at Whole Foods these days. If you are the real gamey sort, you might try using two Cornish game hens and have a fun time messing with small petite bones. This dish also drops in under an hour and is even tastier the next day, like if you were packing to drive out of a flood zone and expected to be on a Florida state road for several horn-honking hours leaving a flood zone to visit a Samaritan sibling up north. Ah, the sweet mystery of hurricane angst. This dish also provides a test of your culinary skills, making sort of a roux and deseeding the tomatoes.
Chicken du jour, browned in pan
Following a recipe easily is about the sequence of preparation. We are not talking as regimented a build-up as Beethoven’s “Ode to Joy.” The critical path is about saving the subtle flavors to be added in last. Using blanched tomatoes to remove the peel is also just a quick exercise in making very subtle flavor changes. The seeds should not be used for making sauces because I feel they add a bit of a bitter component. The tarragon-parsley-tomato trinity is added last to keep its integrity. Also, getting the simmering done right requires a watchful chef – got to get those bubbles just sluggish enough. Yes, grasshoppers, you too can roux.
The best thing about this expedient dish is that the kitchen will be imparted with that comforting aroma you have when fry your chicken, so when you’re done, you will be smellin’ what I’m tellin’.
Chef Sid’s Chicken Chasseur
Saute onions first, then soften and saute the mushrooms
Serves: Four souls in need of comfort in their bellies during a naughty November turning into a dandy December.
INGREDIENTS
2.5 lbs. chicken thighs, with the skin, and cut in half, yields about 6-8 pieces
¼ cup plus 3 tablespoons rough chopped fresh tarragon. It’s a shame to use the dried stuff but one can.
3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1½ lbs. blanched, skinless, deseeded tomatoes, roughly chopped, about two medium sized beefy tomatoes
1 whole yellow onion, diced coarsely
¼ stick butter
It's getting pasty in here
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons tomato paste
1 box chicken stock, 32 oz.
1 box, about 22 oz., small bella or white mushrooms, cleaned and thick sliced
1 cup white wine, Pino or Chardonay
SIDE DISH:
Mashed potatoes (always with skin on), rice pilaf, or herbed rice.
I went for baby red-potatoes mashed skin-on with a tad of butter, salt, and pepper
PREPARATION
How true the roux of tomato paste and flour
Over medium heat in a deep saucepan, sear the chicken parts with a dab of oil (seasoned with salt & pepper) for a good browning and set aside.
Add chopped onion and butter into the pan and sauté until lightly browned, about five minutes.
Add the thick sliced mushrooms and sauté combo for about five minutes, until softened.
Add the tomato paste and stir well to mix evenly until the mixture begins to caramelize in the pan, blending all those flavors
Add the flour and treat this like making a roux.
Pour in the cup of white wine and reduce until thickened and bubbly.
Add the chicken stock and medium simmer until thickening begins.
Place cooked chicken into this mix and cover/simmer for about 40 minutes. Flip the chicken parts at least once and stir so there is no sticking while simmering
Remove lid and add the chopped processed tomato chunks, tarragon, and parsley and remove from heat.
Serve over your fun side dish. I used small red potatoes that were mashed with skin on and a dab of salted butter.
1 of 4
Chicken Chasseur requires a thickened, saucy roux
2 of 4
Get that sauce to bubble up and thicken before you simmer
3 of 4
Drop in the spices and tomatoes last
4 of 4
Chicken Chasseur is true comfort food
Sid Hoeltzell is an awardwinning Miami-based commercial food and beverage photographer and former “MasterChef” contestant. He frequently photographs for Royal Caribbean cruise lines, Christie’s and Sotheby’s.
