Oven Slaving with Mrs Woog

I am calling this Frenchy Chicken because it it vaguely French. I first made it from a French Cookbook which has since escaped my clutches, so now I just go from memory.

And my memory is shot to shit.

So I am claiming it as my own. I also tend to make it while drinking wine, as the recipe calls for it and why should it have all the fun, and normally I am in a filthy mood at that time of day.

Hence the French bit.

You will need.

6 chicken thighs halved.
2 gloves of garlic – diced
1/2 onion – diced.
A fuck tonne of butter
2 sticks celery – diced
1 red capsicum – in strips
I large leek – sliced
1-2 glasses of dry white wine
2 cups chicken stock
Thyme
Salt and Pepper

Put a heavy based dutch oven type thing onto the stove and chuck in some butter. Don’t be stingy. Once it is bubbling away, chuck in your chook and let them be. You want them to get some colour. While this is happening, have some wine. And prepare the rest of your stuff.

Pull your browned chook out and put it in a bowl. You will have goodness stuck all around the pan. This is good. You need that goodness.

More butter. Then stick in your veg apart from the capsicum.

Stir it like a mad woman, sip your wine and yell at your kids…

“Obtenez dans le bain vous remercient svp en ce moment”

Once your veggie are translucent, empty the rest on your glass into the pan, along with another one. With a wooden spoon, scrape at the stuck on goodness at the bottom of the pan. This is flavour central people, and you have a one way ticket!

Pour in the stock, bring the lot to the boil and season with salt and pepper. Chuck in your capsicum.

And then, transfer the rest of the cook back in, making sure that you also include any manky chook juice that might have come out while resting la fowl. Simmer for 20ishy minutes until the sauce reduces.

Whack together some sort of potato situation which will suck up all the delicious sauce.

AND BONJOUR!

A word on mash, if I may. I have enlisted the wisdom of Kim Berry, she of the business All Consuming Food, who advises the following tips!

Start with a floury potato like a desiree. Cook until well and truly soft through. A crunchy potato is a nasty thing.

When you drain them, really drain them so they look ‘dry’ and then get down to the business.

If you want silky smooth mash then you have to use a potato ricer. A hand masher will make decent mash, a ricer makes magnificent mash. So, push your potatoes through the ricer and then give it a good beat.

In the meantime you’ve melted an unholy amount of butter with milk – let’s say if you’re using 1kg potatoes then you’re going to use 125g butter and 250ml milk. Or cream. That’s right, cream.

Then add a bit more butter. Just to be sure you’re arteries are scared.

Add that to the potatoes and then you’re going to beat the crap out of it so it is creamy and yet almost whipped.

Then you’re basically going to eat it until a soft pant is the only option.

Thank you Mrs Berry! You can learn more about her heavenly food here.