Chicken Again?

Yes again. Have we reached the target of 10,000 ways to cook chicken? Not yet. So let's start cooking chicken. This will be an easy recipe. You can make it for one or for ten, just double or triple the recipe or even half it, and you're good to go. It's a real crowd pleaser, everybody will love it, and you can serve it with pasta or rice, with some sauteed vegetables on the side. For the chicken pieces, I usually buy a big bag with several small pouches containing 5 pieces or so, depending on the pieces, thighs or drumsticks. I put one of each per person and, depending on the appetite of your family, add an extra piece or two, or more. It is preferable to use a bone in thigh and drumstick, but please remove the skin on both. For the thigh it's very easy: the skin will come out if you just pull it with your fingers. The drumstick may be a bit tricky at the end, but it's also easy: just pull the skin starting from the round part up to the tip of the leg and pull hard. It will come out. If it doesn't, pull it as far as it can go and simply cut it with your kitchen scissors. No problem. Also make sure that you remove all the visible fat from the thighs.

CHICKEN OSSOBUCO

                                           

I prefer to use legs for this dish. Actually I never made it with a chicken breast, mainly because it's big, and if it has the bone in, it becomes harder to handle.  I think also that a breast will not be as juicy as the leg. But if you want to try it with a chicken breast, you can do that. I would cut the piece in two. Also, if you are serving young children, you should try it with the drumettes (the small drumstick just above the wing). They will be easy to handle with their small hands and fun to eat. You'll need:

4 thighs + 5 drumsticks, skin and fat removed

4 stalks of celery

10 baby carrots

3 garlic cloves

1 small onion

1 tomato

1 can (28oz) crushed tomatoes

2 tbsp canola oil

3 tbsp flour

Chicken stock

Salt and pepper to taste

Sprinkle some salt and pepper over the chicken pieces. Mix. Also mix some salt and pepper with the flour, but don't over do it. Lightly coat the chicken pieces with flour and shake to remove excess. Coarsely chop all the vegetables. Heat one tbsp oil in a nonstick skillet, and brown the chicken pieces on all sides. Transfer the chicken to a large pot, about 5.5 qt. Add the second tbsp of oil to the skillet, cook the chopped onion until translucent. Add the garlic, stir for a couple of minutes, then add the vegetables. Stir until tender, then pour everything over the chicken pieces in the pot. Add the chopped tomato, then the can of crushed tomatoes. You can rinse the can with some water and add it to the pot. The liquid should completely cover the chicken and vegetables in your pot. If not, add some chicken stock. Bring to a boil, then cover and let simmer over low heat. When the vegetables are cooked, remove from heat and let cool. Remove the chicken pieces to a platter, and if you have an immersion blender puree all the vegetables in the pot. If not, you can use a blender and work in batches until the sauce is pureed.. Return the chicken pieces to the pot and let cook over low heat until the chicken is very tender. Adjust the seasoning, if it needs.

TIP: You may have some leftover sauce. Don't worry. I usually get a couple of qt of sauce. Just transfer it to a container and freeze it. You can serve it later as a rich tomato/vegetable soup: just add some stock to it when you reheat it, and serve it with some croutons or toasted pita triangles.