Stew Chicken

After 44 days of confinement, finally I'm getting all my energy back. Through the confiment period i'm not able to cook so much. Now I'm bac with some serious cooking :-)

Last week I found this Israel recipe, but I change a bit here and there.

Stew Chicken

serves 4-6, depending on size of chicken

Ingredients:

1 chicken, halved

Olive oil to cover the bottom of the pan thinly

1/2  cup flour

1 large onion, thickly sliced and the slices halved

4-6 cloves garlic, enough to fill 2 tablespoons

2 tomatoes, good and ripe, chopped coarsely

1 bay leaf

1/4 cup orange juice – stock or plain water work well too.

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1/2 cup red wine / lemon juice

Pinch of salt, pepper, paprika & cumin

Method:

1. Pat flour all over the chicken halves. You don’t have to use all the flour, but make sure the chicken is covered.
2. Heat the oil in a large pan. When it’s warm, put the chicken halves in, hollow side down.
3. Sprinkle with the salt, pepper, and the dry spices.
4. Keep the heat at medium-low. When you hear light crackling sounds, turn the chicken over to brown on the other side. Again, sprinkle with salt, pepper, and the dry spices.
5. Allow the chicken to brown again. Turn the halves over after about 5 minutes. Inspect them and if they’re still pale, turn them back to brown some more. Turn the chicken over every so often till all of it is browned – not cooked, just browned. Finish with the halves hollow side up.
6. Add the tomatoes, garlic, onion, and bay leaf.
7. Add the water.
8. Pour the soy sauce gently over everything.
9. Turn the chicken over again so that most of the vegetables fall to the bottom of the pot and the skin side is up.
10. Cover the pan, keep the flame low, and turn everything over occasionally to make sure the chicken cooks evenly and the skin side doesn’t burn. There will be more liquid as the vegetables cook; it will bind with the flour and form a sauce.
11. Once the chicken is tender all through and the pot is issuing appetizing smells, remove the chicken to a platter and keep it warm.
12. Add the red wine to the liquid in the pot, and reduce everything down to half by boiling it down.
13. Check for seasoning; add more salt and pepper if needed.
14. Replace the chicken in the pot if it has cooled down. When everything’s all hot again, serve, with plenty of the gravy.

I served this with mashed potatoes and baked bean.

Served it hot. :)

Enjoy ~