Consuming Passions - Worldwide Events Managers

Chicken Dijonnais

Serves: 4

Notes

This dish is one of my favourite food temptations. Also one of the first dishes to appear on Consuming Passions. It is simple to prepare with a distinctive flavour all its own. You can do it without the flaming brandy and it's still bliss…

Ingredients

• 650 g skinned chicken pieces (preferably on the bone - thigh pieces are ideal) free-range is best!
• 1 glass of white wine, such as chardonnay
• 1 cup chicken stock
• 1 Tbsp brandy (optional)
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic
• 2 tsp smooth Dijon mustard
• Few sprigs of fresh thyme (or tarragon)
• Freshly ground pepper
• Deep-fried shallots (from oriental store) for garnish

Method

Pat chicken pieces dry with kitchen paper and brown in frying pan with the olive oil. Flame with the brandy. Remove from pan. Add wine, peeled and crushed garlic, Dijon mustard, pepper, chicken stock and thyme to the pan. Mix well and reduce by half. Replace chicken in pan. Cover and leave to simmer over very low heat for 35-40 minutes. Remove the thyme and serve topped with shallots and a sprig of thyme. Good accompaniments for this splendid dish are creamed potatoes and broccolini, which is a member of the brassica family and is related to mustard. (Big family, the brassicas.) Despite having quite a lot of Dijon mustard in it, this dish will not finish up with an overpowering mustard flavour. And you won’t need to add salt. Tip: When flambéeing, it is a good idea to warm the alcohol before pouring it into the pan. Then have a lighted match in one hand and the brandy container in the other. Pour the brandy over the meat and touch the flame to the vapour.

WARNING: This procedure is not recommended for kitchens with low ceilings.