Braised Chicken Legs With Carrot Juice Dates Spices Recipes

CAL PETERNELL'S BRAISED CHICKEN LEGS

Steps:

• Season chicken legs with salt and pepper and let them sit for a while, 15 minutes to an hour, or overnight in the refrigerator.
• Heat oven to 450 degrees. Put a cup or two of flour in a large bowl, add half the chicken and tumble the legs around to coat.
• Set a large oven-safe skillet over medium-high heat. Swirl in 2 tablespoons oil or butter and allow to melt and foam. Shake excess flour off the chicken legs and slide them into the hot pan in one layer; adjust the heat so the legs are sizzling nicely. When the legs begin to brown, after about 5 minutes, turn them over to brown the other side, an additional 4 to 5 minutes. Remove the chicken to a platter and repeat with remaining legs, adding more oil or butter if the pan seems dry.
• Pour off the grease in the pan and add the wine or other liquid to the skillet, scraping at the sticky bits. Let simmer over medium heat until pan is completely deglazed. Pour that liquid into a small bowl and set aside.
• Add remaining oil or butter to the pan and allow it to heat. Add onion, carrot, celery and a pinch of salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables have softened nicely, approximately 10 minutes. Add garlic, thyme and bay leaf and cook for a minute or so, then return all the chicken to the pan, skin side up, along with the reserved glazing liquid and between 1 and 3 cups stock or water, enough to come up the sides of the chicken but not to get them swimming. Bring to a simmer and then put the skillet in the oven.
• After 5 minutes or so, reduce the oven heat to 325 degrees and cook until chicken is very tender, 30 to 40 minutes. (Test for doneness by inserting a slender-bladed knife into the meat. It should pull out easily.) Remove the skillet from the oven, lift the legs from the skillet and put them aside again. Pour the liquid contents of the skillet into a small bowl and allow it to sit for 5 minutes or so, letting the fat rise to the surface. Use a small ladle to skim off and discard the fat, then return liquid to the pan, along with the chicken. Bring back to a simmer on the stovetop, then return to the oven for 5 minutes or so before serving, sprinkled with the chopped parsley, or save to reheat later.

MOROCCAN BRAISED CHICKEN LEGS AND THIGHS WITH CARROT JUICE, DATE

Steps:

• Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 350 degrees.
• Season the chicken pieces generously with salt and pepper. Using a 10-11" straight side ovenproof saute pan with a lid, heat the oil over medium-high heat until very hot. Arrange the chicken skin side down in the pan (it'll be crowded), and cook until deeply brown, about 5 minutes. Use a splatter screen if you have one). Turn the pieces over and cook until the other sides are deeply browned, 3 to 5 minutes more. Transfer to plate.
• Pour out and discard all but 1 tablespoon of the fat in the pan. Put the pan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring frequestly, until it's soft and begins to color, 6 to 8 minutes.
• Add the ginger, cinnamon, and cumin and stir into the onions for about 1 minute.
• Pour in the carrot juice and broth and bring to a boil, scraping the browned bits from the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon.
• return the chicken to the pan. Cover, transfer to the oven and braise for 15 minutes.
• Add the dates and continue to braise until the chicken is fork-tender and the drumstick meatstarts to come away from the bone, 30 to 35 minutes more.
• With a slotted spoon, transfer the chicken and the dates to a serving dish and keep warm by loosely covering the dish with foil.
• Tilt the saute pan and skim off as much fat as possible from the sauce.
• Bring the sauce to a boil over medium-high heat, reduce the heat to medium low, and simmer until the sauce is slightly thickened, abouth 5 minutes.
• Add the lemon juice and season to taste.
• Pour the sauce over the chicken, sprinkle with the chopped cilantro and serve.

BRAISED CHICKEN WITH DATES AND MOROCCAN SPICES

Steps:

• Sprinkle chicken pieces with salt, pepper, and flour. Heat olive oil in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Add half of chicken pieces to pot and cook until browned on all sides, turning occasionally, about 15 minutes. Transfer chicken to baking sheet or platter; repeat with remaining chicken. Pour off all but 2 tablespoons fat from pot and discard. Reduce heat to medium. Add shallots to pot; sauté until golden, about 6 minutes. Add cinnamon sticks, ginger, cumin, turmeric, and cayenne. Stir until fragrant, about 1 minute. Increase heat to high; add broth and 3 tablespoons lemon juice. Bring to boil; reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer until shallots begin to soften, about 18 minutes. Place chicken pieces atop shallots in pot. Bring to boil over medium heat. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until juices run clear when thickest part of drumstick is pierced with knife, about 25 minutes.
• Transfer chicken and shallots to platter; tent with foil. Boil juices in pot until slightly thickened. Stir in dates and remaining 2 tablespoons lemon juice. Reduce heat and simmer gently until dates are heated through, about 2 minutes. Pour sauce and dates over chicken. Sprinkle with almonds and cilantro, and serve.

SWEET & SPICY ROAST CHICKEN WITH CARROTS, DATES & PISTACHIOS

Steps:

• Make the marinade: In a medium bowl whisk together the lemon zest, lemon juice, orange zest, orange juice, olive oil, mustard, honey, red pepper flakes, garlic, thyme, and salt.
• Place the chicken, carrots, onions, and dates in a large sealable plastic bag. Add the marinade and seal shut. Massage to make sure everything is evenly coated with the marinade. Place the bag on a rimmed sheet pan to protect against leakage and marinate in the refrigerator for at least 6 hours or overnight.
• Preheat the oven to 425°F and set an oven rack in the middle position.
• Transfer all ingredients from the bag, including the marinade, to a rimmed sheet pan (do not line the pan with foil). Turn the chicken skin side up. Roast until chicken is lightly browned and cooked through, 40 to 45 minutes. About halfway through cooking, stir the carrots so that they don't burn around the edges of the pan.
• Turn on broiler (leave pan on middle rack), and cook 1 to 3 minutes more, or until skin is golden brown and crispy. Watch carefully: the honey in the marinade can cause the skin to burn quickly.
• Transfer the chicken, carrots, onions and dates onto a platter, along with the sauce in the pan. Sprinkle the parsley, scallions and pistachio nuts over top and serve.

SPICY BRAISED CHICKEN

Steps:

• Preheat a 7 1/4-quart Dutch oven on medium-high heat, then melt butter and add oil. Season chicken generously with salt and pepper and sear until golden on both sides, about 8 minutes. Remove from pot and set aside. Add carrots, onion, celery, and apple, the whole habanero, garlic, bay leaves, and thyme. Season with salt and pepper and saute until they start to soften, about 8 to 10 minutes. Add wine and let reduce by half, scraping up any brown bits remaining on the bottom of the pot. Nestle chicken into pot and add enough broth to almost cover the chicken, about 1 1/2 cups and the gravy sauce. Cover and simmer for 1 hour 45 minutes or until chicken falls off the bone. In the last half hour, remove the lid and let liquid reduce.
• To make the gravy: In a medium saucepan, melt butter with oil over medium high-heat. Add giblets and brown on all sides, about 6 minutes. Add onion and continue cooking another 5 minutes, until onions start to soften. Add flour and stir, cooking another 3 to 5 minutes. Whisk in the stock. Bring to a simmer and strain. Discard giblets and put gravy back in the pot. Season with salt and pepper. Keep warm on the stove and add to braised chicken once it's cooked.
• Serve Braised Chicken over Coconut Rice n' Peas
• Heat olive oil in a medium pot over medium-high heat. Add onions and salt and saute, until onion becomes translucent and tender, about 5 minutes. Add rice and saute another 2 minutes to toast rice. Add coconut milk and fill saucepan with enough water to cover the rice by 1/2-inch or measure by placing your thumb tip on the rice and filling the pot with water until the water reaches the middle of your thumbnail. Bring rice to a simmer, cover and cook until rice is tender and liquid has evaporated, about 15 to 17 minutes.
• Remove from heat and let rice stand another 5 minutes, covered. Fluff rice with fork and then fold in pigeon peas. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
• Yield: 4 to 6 servings

BRAISED CHICKEN WITH SPICY GREENS

Steps:

• To prepare the chicken: The day before serving, season the chicken legs well with salt and pepper. Refrigerate overnight.
• The next day, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Saute the carrot, celery, and onion in the butter and oil. Caramelize lightly, then deglaze the pan with the brandy. Transfer to the bottom of an ovenproof pan that will just hold the chicken legs. Arrange the legs skin side up. Add the bay leaves, garlic, peppercorns, and chicken stock. The bottom half of the meat should be immersed in the liquid, but the skin should be exposed. Braise on the top rack of the oven, checking after 45 minutes, until the meat is tender and the skin crispy.
• Before serving, pour off some of the braising liquid with the vegetables. Degrease the liquid and reduce by a third. Taste as it is reducing to ensure that the salt doesn't intensify too much. If it is too salty, add a little plain reduced stock. Finish with the parsley.
• To prepare the greens: Lightly brown the onion in the oil and the butter. Chop the greens into manageable pieces and saute slowly until wilted. Add a little water to prevent sticking if necessary. When the greens are cooked through, add the anchovy and garlic and cook a minute more. Turn off the heat and season with salt, pepper, cayenne, and lemon juice.
• Serve the braised chicken with the greens.