This is one of my favorite winter braised dishes though it is light enough to enjoy any time of the year. I made it this weekend for a potluck and wine tasting to a great response. It's chicken thighs braised in balsamic vinegar, port, mushrooms, green figs, onions and bacon.
I went over to a friend's house to pick some plums off their tree and they had a smaller green fig tree. I was there to grab fruit for yellow plum jam, but this offering put this dish into the forefront of my mind.
You're going to need:
5 or 6 Chicken Thighs
3 or 4 slices of bacon
1 Small Red Onion
2-3 Garlic Cloves
6 Fresh Figs, Stemmed and Quartered
10 Cremini Mushrooms
2 1/14 c Chicken Broth
5T Balsamic Vinegar
1/2 c Port Wine (cooking or whatever you have on hand)
1/2 c Polenta
2T Unsalted Butter
Parsley, Chopped
There is plenty of room to modify this recipe or to add whatever you think would work well.
- Slice the bacon into 1/4 inch pieces. Saute on medium heat in a medium saucepan until crispy and remove.
- Mince the onion and slice the mushrooms into 1/4 slices. Cook the onions until translucent and then add the mushrooms. Sprinkle in a bit of salt and pepper.
- Mince the garlic and when the onions start to caramelize, add it. Cook for 2-3 minutes.
- Pour in the balsamic and port. Deglaze the pan by scraping with a wooden spoon.
- Pat the chicken thighs dry with paper towels and liberally sprinkle with salt and pepper. Add the thighs to the pan and pour in 1/2 cups of the chicken broth and add the figs.
- Simmer for about 20 minutes.
- Pull the thighs out of the pan and remove the meat from the bone. you can discard or add a bit of the skin to the pan. You can skip this step by using boneless, skinless chicken thighs.
- Smash or stir the mixture a bit to break down the figs and onions into the sauce.
-In another pan add 1 3/4 c chicken stock and bring to a boil with 1/2 t salt. Whisk in the polenta and cook for 5-10 minutes until the mixture thickens and the grains soften. You can also add a splash of milk or half and half to add to the richness. When the polenta is cooked, whisk in 1 T butter and check the salt and pepper for seasoning. If the polenta seems to thick, you can always add additional stock or dairy.
- Scoop the polenta into 2-3 bowls. Top with the chicken mixture, bacon and chopped parsley.
- Serve warm and pair with Chardonnay or Pinot Noir as your taste dictates.
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