In looking for a theme for this month’s Gourmet Dinner Club (GDC) I was inspired by a big historical event that occurred 28 years prior – German Reunification. On October 3, 1990, East and West Germany came back together to form one nation with Berlin as its capital. So we gathered for dinner and enjoyed some good German food and wine to celebrate. This chicken was a big hit.

This recipe may not look that interesting but trust me when I say it’s really good. Think of it as a white wine version of Coq Au Vin – simple ingredients coming together to form something special.

I used a good dry (not a sweet or semi-sweet) German Riesling for this dish but any dry white wine will work. Make sure it’s something you would also drink – especially since you’re not using the entire bottle.

Take time to properly cook all of the ingredients – from browning the chicken to cooking down the vegetables and wine before the whole pot goes in the oven. It’s ready to come out of the oven when the meat begins to falls off the bones. Then you stir in some crème fraîche or heavy cream – just enough to reach a velvety consistency. It’s not meant to be a heavy cream sauce.

I cooked the potatoes separately and added them just as the dish went into the oven. There’s nothing worse than a stew with under cooked potatoes – this extra step ensures that will not occur.

All you need to finish this meal off is a salad and some good crusty bread.

Gluten-Free/Wheat-Free Note:  All ingredients in this dish are both gluten-free/wheat-free. Just skip the good crusty bread and you’re safe.

Riesling Chicken

 

Riesling Chicken
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Recipe type: Main Dish
Author:
Serves: 4
Ingredients
  • 1 pound small red potatoes
  • 8 chicken thighs with bones and skin
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
  • 4 medium leeks (white and pale green parts only), finely chopped (~ 2 cups)
  • 1 medium shallot, finely chopped
  • 4 garlic cloves, minced
  • 4 medium carrots, cut into small circles, about ½ inch thick
  • 8 ounces cremini mushrooms, sliced
  • 1-1/2 cup dry Riesling (or other dry white wine)
  • 3 sprigs fresh rosemary
  • 10 sprigs fresh thyme
  • ½ cup crème fraîche or heavy cream
  • 2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley
  • 1-1/2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice (~ 1 lemon)
  • Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
  2. In a small pot, steam potatoes over high heat until just tender when pierced with a fork, about 25 minutes. Set aside.
  3. Pat chicken dry and sprinkle with sea salt and freshly ground pepper on both sides.
  4. Heat oil and butter in a wide 5-quart heavy ovenproof pot (with lid) over medium-high heat until foam subsides, then brown chicken in 2 batches, turning once, about 10 minutes total per batch. Make sure the skin is browned. Transfer to a plate.
  5. While chicken is cooking, chop leeks and place in a bowl of cold water to remove dirt. Let sit for 10 minutes. Transfer leeks to a colander by hand or spoon. Rinse leeks under cold water in colander. Pat dry.
  6. Pour off all but 2 tablespoons of fat from pot. Cook leeks, shallot, garlic, carrots and mushrooms, covered, over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until leeks are pale golden, 8 to 10 minutes.
  7. Add chicken, skin sides up and wine and boil until liquid is reduced by half, 5 to 7 minutes.
  8. Add potatoes, rosemary and thyme and stir. Cover pot and braise chicken in oven until cooked through (meat should be falling off the bones), 45 to 60 minutes.
  9. Remove pot from oven. Transfer chicken to a plate – don’t worry if some pieces fall into the pan.
  10. Stir crème fraîche into pot. Then stir in parsley and lemon juice. Season with sea salt and freshly ground pepper. Return chicken to pot.
  11. Serve warm.
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Source:  Variation on recipe from Gourmet, March, 2008