Sweet & Savory Kitchens

Aunt Suzy says

Recently we visited friends in Madison, Wisconsin and went to their fabulous farmers’ market which takes place around the Wisconsin State Capital square.  I’ve had in mind lately to make this dish which uses a pound of shallots, but haven’t seen any good ones around locally.

I happened upon a vendor at this farmers’ market who had beautiful shallots, so I grabbed a bunch to make this recipe, as well as a celery salad that uses shallots.  (Cooking with shallots makes me smile thinking of a fridge magnet I have .  . “shallots saved her from mediocrity”.)

This goes really well with oven roasted potatoes and a salad accompanied by a Pinot Blanc wine, which went well with everything, but especially the celery salad.  We had leftovers that I served over rice with a side of broccoli – equally delicious!

Serves 4

Ingredients

4  bone-in chicken breasts, skinned and cut in half OR

8 bone-in chicken thighs, skinned

Salt and Pepper

1/4 cup flour

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 pound small shallots (about 12), peeled and halved lengthwise

5 cloves of garlic, peeled and halved

1/2 cup dry white wine

3 tablespoons Dijon mustard

1 1/2 cups water

1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved

fresh tarragon leaves, for garnish

Season the chicken with salt and pepper.  Dredge with the flour and shake off excess before browning.  Heat the olive oil over medium-high heat in a Dutch oven or deep saute pan.  When hot, add the chicken and cook till browned, about 3-4 minutes per side. 

Remove the chicken and set aside.  Add the shallots and cook on medium-high until browned and slightly softened, about 5 minutes.  Add the wine and cook until evaporated, about 2-3 minutes.  Stir in the mustard and the water.  Bring to a boil and then return the chicken to to the pot.  Reduce heat and simmer for 30-35 minutes, until done.

Once the chicken is finished, transfer to a plate and loosely tent with aluminum foil.  Add the tomatoes to the pot and season with salt and pepper.  Cook on high until the sauce has thickened, 6 to 8 minutes.  Return the chicken to the pot and reheat if necessary.

Garnish with tarragon and serve.

A note on the ingredients:  We used half the amount of chicken, but the full amount of all other ingredients – the sauce is great!!  I might try substituting chicken broth for the water next time for a richer sauce.