For dinner last night I actually followed a recipe! And...overall it was pretty good but I'd make some changes. Basically you brown a cut up chicken in a skillet, take it out, brown shallot (oops, no shallot, used onion) and garlic, delgaze with a cup of sherry. Cook it down halfway add in the chicken along with chicken broth, orange wedges (I used more than I should have but they were SO pretty) and green olives. Then put the whole thing in the oven for awhile. Take it out, remove the chicken, cook down the sauce a bit and add a bit of honey. I think I would use less honey and lots more olives...and maybe nix the added chicken broth. It made for a gorgeous sunny looking dish though.... We had it with couscous with a bunch of spinach stirred in along with a bit of the sauce on top.
This is the sauce cooking down after I had removed the braised chicken....
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 4 3/4-pound chicken, cut into 8 pieces
- 1 cup sliced shallots (about 3 large)
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 cup medium Sherry
- 1 cup low-salt chicken broth
- 1 orange, halved lengthwise, each half cut into 5 wedges
- 1/3 cup brine-cured green olives (such as picholine)
- 1 tablespoon honey
Preheat oven to 425°F. Heat oil in large ovenproof skillet over high heat. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper. Add chicken to skillet; cook until skin is crisp and browned, about 6 minutes per side. Transfer chicken to plate. Reduce heat to medium-high. Drain all but 2 tablespoons drippings from skillet. Add shallots; stir until soft and beginning to brown, about 2 minutes. Add garlic; stir 30 seconds. Add Sherry; boil until reduced by half, scraping up browned bits, about 3 minutes. Add chicken broth; bring to boil. Return chicken, skin side up, to skillet. Place orange wedges and olives among chicken pieces. Transfer to oven and braise uncovered until chicken is cooked through, about 20 minutes.
Transfer chicken to platter. Bring sauce to boil over high heat. Stir in honey; boil until thickened, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Pour sauce, oranges, and olives over chicken, or return chicken to skillet and serve.
