Chicken ragout with onions and red wine

Submitted by Monica in PA

"SCRUMPTIOUS! This is my absolute hands-down favorite chicken recipe. I adapted it from Julia Child's book "The Way to Cook". It will really impress any guests and they will return for seconds and thirds. It can be made very inexpensively with chicken thighs. You may also adapt for the crockpot just brown the chicken before hand and you may have to double the thickening agents to adjust the sauce before serving. Prep time includes the browning of the chicken. Make sure you have lots of bread to dip in the delicious sauce! Enjoy!"

 

• Ready In: 45mins
• Ingredients: 14
• Serves: 4

ingredients

• 2 -3 lbs chicken parts (I prefer thighs)
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 3 cups sliced onions
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 teaspoon thyme
• 1⁄3 cup canned tomato puree or 1/3 cup tomato sauce
• 3 cups chianti wine (can subsitute any dry red wine you have on hand)
• 1 1⁄2 cups chicken stock
• kosher salt
• black pepper

• for thickening of sauce

• 1 1⁄2 tablespoons flour
• 1 tablespoon melted butter or 1 tablespoon wine

directions

1. Brown chicken in large skillet on both sides in butter and oil.
2. Remove chicken from pan and set aside, leaving the liquid in the pan.
3. Add onions to the pan and saute till tender on moderate heat.
4. Drain liquid over sieve into small bowl.
5. Remove any unwanted fat.
6. Set liquid aside.
7. Season the chicken parts with salt/pepper and return to pan.
8. Add tomato sauce, garlic, bay leaves, and thyme.
9. Add enough wine and chicken stock to cover chicken parts.
10. Simmer for at least 20 minutes uncovered.
11. Remove chicken and place on platter.
12. Pour juices and onions into saucepan and adjust seasonings.
13. You may add more garlic, thyme, salt and pepper.
14. In small bowl whisk together flour and butter (or wine).
15. Add to the sauce and simmer until the sauce coats the back of a spoon.
16. You may need to double the thickening agents if you have lots of juice.
17. Pour sauce over chicken on platter and garnish with parsley.
18. Serve with rice and crusty bread.

Reviews

[candycayne25]

This was the best chicken I have ever made! It was my first Julia recipe and I am sooooooo impressed with it! I also made her potato salad and Herb biscuits! my husband said it was the best meal I have ever made! I did not use wine and used 1 and a half cups of chicken stock and 1 cup of veggie stock. It came out tasting super Italian and like i was at a gourmet restaurant! Thank you for posting!! This is a must make!

 

[mrsoff11]

I made this last night. I used chicken thighs and I skinned them. My family could not get enough of it. It was soooo good! Perfect for those cooler nights. I served mine with rice and salad. I used "Menage a Trois" wine, which is a blend of Zinfandel, Merlot, and Cabernet. The house smelled so good and the chicken was fantastic!

 

[MariaCameron]

I made this with a crock pot and browned the chicken before putting it in the crock with the rest of the ingredients. I found the taste quite bland even though I added other spices and more tomato. Perhaps the taste would have improved a little if I had time to fry the onions before I put them in. I think that three cups of wine was a little much and didn't add to the flavour. Less would have been better. I was so disappointed that that I don't think I am going to try the stove stove version of this either even though I love wine and lots of onions.