The Last Braised Meat of the Winter Season

I got tired of packing for NYC. I spend so much money on clothes and my room and closet is full of clothes, but I feel like I have absolutely nothing to bring for this trip. With that said, I am taking a break and  will talk about my last "winter" dish: Creamed Chicken with Spring Onions, Mushrooms and Leggy Red Wine. This is another Tyler Florence recipe. In case you didn't know, I am in-love with him.

Braised meats are so good and comforting it's the perfect winter dish. I'm glad winter is coming to a close because when the weather gets warmer, we tend to crave healthier foods and I could use some of that.

Here is the recipe:

Cooking Time: 1.5 hours (including prep time. It took me less time)
Serves 2-4

Ingredients:
1 chicken, about 3 lbs. cut into 8 pieces (I don't like the drumstick so I used thigh and breast)
Salt & Pepper
1 1/2 Cups of all-purpose flour (to lightly coat the chicken for browning)
Olive Oil
2 Fresh Rosemary Sprigs
1 Pint white mushrooms stemmed (or use ready chopped)
3 Garlic Cloves minced
1 bottle full-bodied red wine (Cabernet Sauvignon - one you will actually drink)
1 tbs. sugar (more or less)
1/2 cup heavy cream
6 Spring Onions

Season the chicken with S&P and roll in flour. Tap off excess and brown on a dutch oven with already heated oil (skin-side down). Throw a sprig of rosemary in to create a base flavor. FYI, when you fry rosemary the smell is sensational! If the pan is too crowded, do this in batches. Set chicken aside.

In the same pan throw in mushrooms and onions. Saute until mushrooms and onions begin to soften. Pour in the wine and cook down uncovered until reduced by half. You can reduce by boiling the wine. Taste and add sugar to balance out the tannins in the wine (I think for mine I put more than 1 tbs.).

Return chicken into the pan, cover and simmer (remember, simmer is at about 2 on the stove dial) for about 25 minutes. Remove from heat, stir in the cream and taste for S&P. The sauce should be thick enough to coat the back of the spoon, if not, cook a few minutes longer. Add spring onions last before serving.

This may not look all that appetizing because of the red-ish brown-ish sauce, but take my word for it... it was delicious! It kind of reminds me of Coq Au Vin, but a very simplified version.

This dish is extremely easy and you should give it a try as a quick and easy substitute for Coq Au Vin.

Happy eating.. hopefully I will be able try to make more challenging dishes now that I am over my cold.

By the way, as I currently blog, I'm listening to this guy named Mayer Hawthorne.. he's pretty awesome. He's a white guy but sings old school style R&B (kind of Mowtown-ish). I found out about him while listening to this other girl named Nikki Jean.. she's really good too. I love discovering new music... much like discovering new foods and recipes! :)