Tuesday, January 5, 2010

Classic French Chicken in White Grape Sauce

2 TBS butter
3 or 4 bone in chicken breasts
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 medium carrot, finely chopped
1/2 rib celery, finely chopped
2 oz prosciutto or country ham finely chopped
3/4 cup white grape juice
3/4 cup low salt chicken stock
3 TBSP heavy cream (at room temperature)
Chopped fresh parsley

Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Season the chicken with salt and pepper and cook it in the skillet on the skin side to brown it and render the fat from the skin about 15 min. Turn chicken over and cook on the bone side for about 5 min. Remove and save the chicken. Pour off all but 2 TBSP of the fat from the pan. Add the onion, carrot, celery, prosciutto or ham and saute until the onion is browned and the vegetables are softened, 8-10 min. Add the juice and chicken stock to the pan and stir to combine with vegetables. Put the chicken back into the pan. Bring the liquid to a boil, reduce to a simmer, cover the skillet with a lid and simmer the chicken in the sauce until cooked through 20 to 25 min. Remove the chicken from the pan, turn the heat to high and bring the liquid to a boil. Reduce the volume of liquid by half, about 5 min. (6-7 min. for a thicker sauce). Add the cream, stir to combin and remove the pan from the heat. Pour sauce over chicken and sprinkle with the chopped parsley. Great served with mashed potatoes.

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