Photo credit: © Eatwell101.comThis recipe is another Holidays favorite. The fact that its primary player is Champagne makes it elegant enough for a Holiday celebration while it couldn’t be more simple to throw together and won’t take you away from the party. Use a nice pour of champagne, which is similar to cooking with a slightly sweet white wine, to add a fun twist that tie together the sweetness of dates and figs and definitely fits the season.
Ingredient list for Roasted Champagne Chicken with Dried fruit
Serving 6 :
- 1 large chicken cut into pieces or 6 chicken thighs
- 1 cup (20cl) champagne (you can substitute white wine )
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1/2 cup (10cl) orange juice
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 12 dried figs
- 18 dates
- 1 tablespoon sesame seeds
For the polenta:
- 1 cup (200g) instant polenta (cooked in 1 minute)
- 2/3 (15cl) milk
- 1 3/4 oz (50g) butter
Directions
1. Place the figs in a bowl and cover with cold water for 15 minutes, then drain.
2. Heat the oil in a skillet and brown the chicken pieces on all sides.
3. Remove chicken pieces, and discard the fat. Pour the champagne into the skillet to deglaze, let reduce over high heat.
4. Add honey, orange and lemon juice , salt and simmer for 5 minutes over medium heat.
5. Put the chicken back into the juice and simmer, covered, for 40 minutes. Make sure you have enough liquid in the pan. If not, add a little chicken broth.
6. Add the dates, figs, ground pepper and cook for 10 minutes more, stirring so that the sauce coats the chicken.
7. Prepare the polenta into boiling salted milk off the heat, sift the polenta over, and cook for 1 minute. Add the butter and remove from heat. Serve each piece of chicken with polenta and dried fruit.
(Image: Anne Desplancke)