Braised Chicken with Shallots

I cooked for my picky eater grandparents last week while visiting them in Florida, and between the both of them, there are about two foods that they seem to agree on.  One of them is chicken. Rumor had it that if my grandpa doesn't know what he's eating, he'll eat anything, so this chicken dish worked nicely because it looks like a standard gravy and you can't entirely tell what's in it. When he pointed to the parsley while I was cooking and asked "what's that?" I politely told him to move right along.

One last anecdote ... my snarky southern uncle made some comment about this dish looking like something a bird regurgitated, and though there may be some truth in that, it's a pretty delicious dish that I've made several times after it was a ladies night collaborative effort a couple of years ago. If Martha Stewart will eat it, it can't be all that bad.

Notes: Serves 4; good over rice. Definitely needs to be over rice or another grain, and/or have an accompanying side dish. Also - I used boneless thighs and it's fine.

Braised Chicken with Shallots
From: Martha Stewart

Ingredients

8 bone-in, skinless chicken thighs (about 2 1/2 pounds total)
Salt and pepper
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 pound small shallots (about 12), peeled and halved
5 garlic cloves, peeled and halved
1/2 cup dry white wine
3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
1 1/2 cups water

1. Season chicken with salt and pepper and coat with flour. Shake off excess flour.

2. In a medium-large heavy pot with a lid, heat oil over medium-high heat. Cook chicken in one or two batches until lightly browned, about 3-4 minutes per side. Remove chicken and set aside.

3. Scrape up any bits sticking to the pan (but leave them in there) and add shallots and garlic, cooking them until they are golden brown, about 5 minutes. Add wine and cook until evaporated, about 5 minutes. Stir in mustard and 1 1/2 cups water and bring to a boil.

4. Return the chicken to a pot and reduce the heat to a simmer. Cover with a lid and cook until the chicken is cooked through, about 30-35 minutes.

5. Remove chicken from pot (you can throw some foil over them to keep them warm) and add tomatoes, salt, and pepper. Raise heat to high and cook until the sauce thickens, about 8 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low and return chicken to the pot. Mix everything together well and reheat briefly.



Naked chickens!

So many shallots, so many tears. Get someone else to chop these:

Makin' gravy: