Chicken with sweet wine & garlic

Chicken with sweet wine & garlic

Simple, delicious and very classically French, this creamy casserole makes an impressive dinner party dish

Difficulty and servings

Moderately easy

Serves 4

Preparation and cooking times

Preparation time

Prep 30 mins

Cook time

Cook 1 hr 15 mins

Freezable

Method

  1. Tip the flour into a large food bag. Add the chicken pieces, two at a time, and shake well to coat evenly. Heat 2 tbsp oil in a large pan, add a few pieces of chicken and fry on all sides until well browned. You'll need to do this in batches and you may need a touch more oil or fat. Remove the pieces to a large saucepan or flameproof casserole.
  2. Add 1 tbsp oil to the pan, add the shallots and fry gently until softened, but not browned. Add the wine and allow to bubble until it is reduced a little. Add the stock, herb bundle and seasoning and bring to the boil. Pour over the chicken.
  3. Cover the pan tightly and simmer for 45 mins until the chicken is tender and the sauce thickened and reduced.
  4. Meanwhile, separate the garlic head into individual cloves and put in a small pan with water to cover. Bring to the boil, then cover and simmer for 20-25 mins until the garlic is tender. Drain and cool under running cold water. Peel the garlic.
  5. Heat half the butter and a splash of oil in a frying pan. Add the mushrooms and cook quickly over a moderate heat until just softened. Tip into a bowl. Wipe out the pan and add the remaining butter and a splash of oil. Add the garlic and fry gently, shaking the pan until lightly browned. Season lightly.
  6. Stir the mushrooms and crème fraîche into the chicken and bring to the boil. Simmer for 5 mins, then taste and add more seasoning and a little lemon juice if it needs it. Spoon the chicken and sauce onto a warm platter and scatter with garlic.
Try

Make a simple chicken stock

Once you have jointed the chicken, cut the backbone in half and put in a pan with the leg and wing tips, 1 roughly chopped carrot, 1 stick of celery and 1 shallot. Add 1 bay leaf and a thyme sprig, a few black peppercorns and some salt. Bring to the boil, then reduce heat, cover and simmer for 30 mins. Strain and use.

PER SERVING

828 kcalories, protein 51g, carbohydrate 9g, fat 62 g, saturated fat 22g, fibre 1g, sugar 4g, salt 0.81 g

Recipe from Good Food magazine, March 2011.

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Latest comments and suggestions

  • Binder photo hanna136

    09 February 2011

    hanna136 rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    I made this for dinner last night - complete winner! I also added 2 teaspoons of Dijon mustard which worked an absolute treat.

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  • Binder photo katrina

    14 February 2011

    katrina commented on this recipe

    very moorish will be making again I used chicken breasts

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  • Binder photo Angela

    19 February 2011

    Angela commented on this recipe

    Very delicious. I didn't have any sweet wine so I used Marsala instead - it seemed to do the trick!

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  • Binder photo Angela

    19 February 2011

    Angela rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    oops, forgot to rate it

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  • Binder photo Babs45920

    26 March 2011

    Babs45920 rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    This is divine! I made it yesterday, doubled the recipe without a problem. As the Sauterne is exceedingly expensive where I live, I substituted with an inexpensive Muscadet. Fantastic! The sauce was slightly thinner than I like, so I thickened it with a tablespoon of cornstarch (for a double recipe). Take your time to brown the chicken, it's worth the effort. As I will be serving this tonight, I will serve the chicken, mushrooms and garlic separately from the gravy, as there is a lot. To add color, I will roast carrots and asparagus. Chocolate mousse and raspberry coulis for dessert.

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  • Binder photo Babs45920

    26 March 2011

    Babs45920 commented on this recipe

    Sorry, rated it twice. Guess I could have given it 10 stars if I would have had the chance ;o)

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  • Binder photo Pewtersfood

    30 March 2011

    Pewtersfood rated and commented on this recipe

    4 stars

    It was nice but if using stock no more salt of any description is required.In fact maybe a touch of salt,water & creme fraiche only would have been better.

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  • Binder photo Ian H

    05 April 2011

    Ian H rated and commented on this recipe

    4 stars

    I made this recipe at the weekend. The flavours are perfect, not too rich as creme fraiche prevents this rather than using sing;e/double cream. The sauce has the right viscosity also. I used chicken thighs however, boned, with the bones in the sauce for 45 minutes simmering and the thigh meat fried and kept out of the sauce to keep the nice crispy skin. I tried putting one thigh in after browning but the skin simply fell off during cooking and was slopping around in the sauce. The meat cooked in the sauce was much more tender so this is one advantage of not frying/grilling it. Next time i think i will seperate the skin and make some crispy skin to put on the top like crackling to add another texture. I served this with some citrus cavalo nero to cut through the creamy aspect of the dish with some sage and paprika cubed roasted potatoes. A very good recipe and hard to mess up.

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  • Binder photo masterfox

    10 May 2011

    masterfox rated and commented on this recipe

    4 stars

    Very tasty meal. Didn't use wine but white grape juice instead and added a little more lemon juice to compensate. Liked the creamyness of it and can easily stretch it to make enough for 2 nights meals.

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  • Binder photo same965

    16 December 2011

    same965 rated this recipe

    5 stars

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  • Binder photo Pip

    02 January 2012

    Pip rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    I made this today. I used left over cooked chicken which I added at the end. Very tasty served with baby new potatoes and green beans.

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  • Binder photo greenlung

    25 April 2012

    greenlung rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    So fantastic, used the white wine that was in the house, def not a sweet one, put in mushrooms that I had fried the previous day, I reckon the chicken stock really adds to the dish. So proud of myself. Both I and the recipe deserve the 5 stars.

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Difficulty and servings

Moderately easy

Serves 4

Preparation and cooking times

Preparation time

Prep 30 mins

Cook time

Cook 1 hr 15 mins

Freezable

Ingredients

  • 2 tbsp seasoned flour
  • 1 free-range chicken , about 1.5kg/3lb 5oz, jointed into 8 pieces
  • 4-5 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 shallots , finely chopped
  • 200ml sweet wine , such as Sauternes
  • 300ml chicken stock (see how to make your own below)
  • sprig each of parsley , thyme and bay tied with string
  • 1 head garlic
  • 50g butter
  • 200g chestnut mushrooms
  • 3 rounded tbsp crème fraîche
  • a little lemon juice if needed
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PER SERVING

828 kcalories, protein 51g, carbohydrate 9g, fat 62 g, saturated fat 22g, fibre 1g, sugar 4g, salt 0.81 g

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