Chicken Maxengo Recipe
Servings: 4 people
Ingredients
- 1 whole chicken about 3 pounds, cut up into pieces
- salt and pepper to taste
- flour for dredging
- 2 tablespoons oil
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 12 pearl onions peeled
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 2 roma tomatoes peeled, seeded, and crushed or 1 - 14½ oz can of crushed tomatoes (easier)
- 2 cups chicken stock reduced by half
- 1 bouquet garni
- ½ cup white wine
- 1 cup mushrooms quartered
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Dredge the chicken pieces in the flour. Be sure to knock off any extra flour from the chicken pieces, or you will end up with clumps of flour in the pan. I just hit two pieces together to remove excess.
- Heat up a large saute or fry pan over medium-high heat. The size of the pan is essential. It has to be big enough to hold all the chicken and other ingredients, including the stock.
- You may have to saute the pieces a few at a time so you don't crowd the pan, but in the end, all the ingredients have to go back into the pan. And make sure you have a tight-fitting cover for the pan.
- Heat the pan over medium-high heat for a couple of minutes, then add the oil and 1 tablespoon of butter. Let the pan get hot but not smoking. Brown the chicken pieces. You want the skin to brown for appearances. The actual cooking of the chicken will come when you braise it.
- Add the garlic, onions, tomato puree, tomato paste, reduced chicken stock, and bouquet garni. Cover and simmer for 40 minutes or until the chicken is tender. This is the braising process.
- While the chicken is simmering, sauté the mushrooms in the remaining butter. When they turn brown and the released juices have evaporated, add wine and cook for a couple of minutes. Then add them to the simmering chicken.
- When the 40 minutes are up, you should be ready to serve. If you are not ready to eat, no big deal. Reduce the heat to a low simmer or turn the heat off completely.
- When you are ready to plate, spoon some rice onto the plate, top it with a piece of chicken and then spoon some of the incredible mushroom-filled sauce over both. Garnish with chopped parsley, plate a vegetable, and serve.
- This one is a keeper.
Notes
When I made this for 10 people, I used my favorite Le Creuset Oval French Oven. (French version of a Dutch oven). I love using this pan for recipes like this plus stews & casseroles. It is great for browning, searing , slow-cooking, simmering or reheating foods.
I like to serve this recipe with some sort of rice. White rice, brown rice, basmati rice, rice pilaf or how about some parpadelle pasta....your choice. I would even try a couscous.