Weeknight meals are fast, easy and boring right? Of course you know I’m setting you up. At TuscanVines one of our guiding principles is tasting wine at the table, with food family and friends. That’s how the wines are made to be enjoyed at that’s our first goal. To that end, there’s got to be good food, but weeknight meals can be more of a challenge. This one is hearty and delicious and comes together in under 40 minutes.
Pollo Brasato in Chianti Classico (Chicken braised in Chianti)
4 chicken breasts, trimmed and cut into large pieces
1 package mushrooms (any kind you like)
1 can imported cherry tomatoes with juices
1/2 sweet vidalia onion
3 cloves garlic finely chopped
1/2 cup Chianti Classico
Basil
In a heavy bottomed sauce pan, brown the chicken over medium to medium high heat in a tiny bit of olive oil. The pan needs to be hot and the chicken dry or it will steam, not brown. This will take about 5-8 minutes if you’ve got two batches of meat. Take the time to do it right. This is the key to the dish being as flavorful as it is. When you’re done browning, set the meat aside, it will be raw inside, and immediately add the garlic and onions to the pan.
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| ~ Note the color on the chicken. The pan has also already been deglazed ~ |
Saute the onions and garlic for 2-3 minutes until they begin to pick up some color from the pan. The bottom of the pan will be forming a heavy brown crust. Deglaze the pan with the Chianti wine. Scrape all the brown color off the bottom of the pan. That is pure flavor! Use a little more wine if you need to. Once the bottom of the pan is cleaned off, add the tomatoes, reduce heat to medium low and simmer 10 minutes.
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| ~ This is just after adding the tomatoes: break up the cherries with tongs ~ |
After ten minutes, the sauce should already be reducing. Add your mushrooms and cook 5-8 minutes more until they’re almost cooked through. Then add the chicken and cook for 10-12 minutes more, until fully cooked.
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| ~ This is just after the mushrooms were added. Stir through ~ |
I added a few left over peas that I had to give the dish some color and then I garnished the pot at the table with some fresh basil. Here’s the finished dish at the table. We served it straight from the pan. With this we drank the 2010 Fontalpino Chianti Classico that I reviewed earlier this week. A perfect match!
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| ~ Chicken Braised in Chianti Classico ~ |
Tutti a tavola!
March 27, 2014
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