Company Over for Dinner Spice-Rubbed Chicken

March 2013

SmartCooks here.  

I discovered yet another wonderfully flavoured chicken recipe.  This time it came from browsing through the April edition of Food and Wine.  It's a  perfect dish to serve to company, a chicken braised in anise and coriander and then cooked in the oven steeped in red wine and tomato sauce.  Divine ... 

Without further ado, here it is.

Ingredients:

1/2 tsp coriander seeds
1/4 star anise pod
1 1/2 tsp cracked black peppercorns
1 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper
1 T kosher salt
8 chicken thighs (I took skin off)
1/4 cup canola oil
1 large Spanish onion, thinly sliced
1 large leek, white and tender green parts only, thinly sliced
2 plum tomatoes, chopped
3 thyme sprigs
3 oregano sprigs
1 cup dry red wine
1 T red wine vinegar
1 T honey
Chopped parsley and chives, for garnish

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°. 

In a small skillet, toast the coriander, star anise, cracked peppercorns and crushed red pepper over moderate heat, shaking the pan, until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a spice grinder and let cool; pulse until coarsely ground. Add the salt. Rub the spices all over the chicken. 

In a large skillet, heat the canola oil. Add the chicken and cook over high heat, turning once, until deep golden, 10 minutes. Arrange the chicken in a roasting pan, skin side up. Pour off most of the oil from the skillet and add the onion and leek. Cook over moderate heat, stirring, until softened, 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes, thyme and oregano and cook until the tomatoes just begin to break down, 3 minutes. Add the red wine and cook until reduced to 1/4 cup, scraping up any bits stuck to the pan, 5 minutes. Stir in 1 cup of water and pour the mixture into the roasting pan. 

Cover the pan with foil and braise the chicken in the oven for about 1 hour, until cooked through. Transfer the chicken to a plate. Strain the sauce into a saucepan. Boil until the sauce is reduced to 1 cup, 5 minutes. Stir in the vinegar and honey; keep warm. Preheat the broiler. Return the chicken to the roasting pan, skin side up, and broil 8 inches from the heat for 2 minutes, until the skin (or top of chicken if you took off the skin) is crisp. Sprinkle with the parsley and chives. Serve the chicken with the sauce.  

Enjoy!