Recipe of the Week – Chicken Fricasée à la Grecque

Recipe of the Week – Chicken Fricasée à la Grecque

Starting this week, we will be posting a new recipe each Sunday that will pair well with one of our wines.  For the Dahan family, Sunday is always a family dinner night and I always try to go that extra mile and make a really nice dinner.  This week I made a fabulous “Chicken Fricasée à la Grecque” which pairs perfectly with our 2013 Twelfth Night Riesling.  Don’t be scared by the recipe – you might think that putting lettuce into a hot dish is quite strange but I guarantee that it is delicious.  Even my 12-year old son thought it was fab and asked for the leftovers in his lunch tomorrow!  Bon Appétit!

– Beth Ann

Chicken Fricasée à la Grecque
 

• 4 to 6 tablespoons olive oil
• 4 bone-in skinless chicken pieces (thighs, breasts, and/or drumsticks)
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 bunch green onions (scallions) green and white chopped
• 3-4 large heads romaine or cos lettuce, roughly chopped
• 3/4 cup fresh dill, chopped
• 3 eggs
• Juice of 2 to 3 lemons
• Extra dill and scallion for garnish

 

Heat the olive oil in a large 6 qt. pan.  When very hot and shimmering, add the chicken. Brown well on both sides. Season with salt and pepper.

Once browned, add the green onion and cook for a minute. Start adding handfuls of the chopped romaine.  You won’t be able to fit in all the romaine at once, but don’t worriy  Add as much romaine as you can, cover and wait until he romaine in the pan has cooked down.  Add the remaining romaine, along with the fresh dill. Do not stir; leave the chicken at the bottom of the pan.

Reduce to a simmer. Cover and cook for 45 minutes, till the chicken is done and nearly falling off the bone and the romaine is tender. Taste the juice in the pan and add more salt if desired.

Meanwhile, in a large bowl, beat together the eggs and lemon juice.

Take the chicken off the heat.  Tilt the pan to catch the juices at the bottom of the pan with a ladle. Pour the hot juices into the egg mixture in a slow and steady stream while beating vigorously. Continue this process until you’ve used most of the juice in the pan.

Pour all of the egg mixture into the pan and place over low heat.  Do not stir; shake the pan in a circular motion to evenly distribute the egg lemon sauce. Keep over a low heat until the sauce just barely comes to a simmer. Watch intently and remove from the heat as soon as you see the first one or two bubbles rise to the surface.

 TIP: never cover the pan after adding the egg lemon mixture; the condensation promotes separation of the sauce.

Makes 4 servings.  Garnish each portion with more fresh dill and chopped scallion. Serve with crusty bread for mopping up the sauce.