FFwD – M. Jacques Armagnac Chicken

Returning to the fold…I joined French Fridays with Dorie back in October 2010, right at the beginning.  I cooked and baked along with everyone consistently for several months…and then I tapered off…and, eventually, stopped.  Not on purpose, not for any reason that I can remember.  I just had lots of other demands on my brain, I think, and something had to go.

But I missed it, I missed the fun of cooking “together” with a whole bunch of other people…and I missed the food.  So not too long ago I decided I needed to get back into the routine.  I may only participate once a month, but that’s okay.  As long as I participate.  Besides, it’s nice to have someone else decide what’s for dinner now and then!

And to kick off my return, I made this week’s selection, M. Jacques Armagnac Chicken. 

Armagnac Chicken is a very simple dish – something you can throw together after work and eat in around an hour.  It’s just chicken, onions, potatoes, and carrots, with some herbs and, of course, Armagnac. 

First – the carrots.  See those in the image above?  They’re from our winter garden.  Carrots!  It’s January!  Now, granted, it’s been a very mild winter so far, but even if it hadn’t been those carrots would still be just fine nestled under the ground and sheltered beneath a plastic tent.

Our potatoes are long gone, as are the onions we grew, so that’s it as far as “we grew it ourselves!” goes.

The chicken is about 3 3/4 pounds – the perfect size to fit in our Dutch oven.  I tucked the wings under, tied the legs together (ankles crossed – this was a Lady chicken, as Julia might say), and patted the whole thing with a mixture of salt and black pepper (we don’t have white pepper) and a sprinkling of this stuff, just for fun:

Black Truffle Salt.  This little bottle was a gift at Christmas, and OH MY is it ever good stuff.  So far our favorite use?  On popcorn.  Crazy good.  Earthy and salty and dangerously yummy.  So I figured it might be nice added to the chicken.  Didn’t really notice it in the final product, but that’s okay.  We knew it was there.

So, back to the recipe!

I warmed the onions, potatoes and carrots in olive oil, then moved them to the outer part of the pot so I could add the chicken.  (I’d also forgotten to add the thyme and rosemary, so I sprinkled them on at this point, too).  I also placed the giblets – neck, hearts (there were two), gizzard and liver – all around on top of the vegetables.  And then I poured in the Armagnac.

Only, it wasn’t Armagnac.  Not in the budget right now.  So I used regular old garden variety brandy.  I know the Armagnac would have been better, but that just wasn’t happening this time around.  Some day, though….

Pretty, isn’t it?

Into the 450 degree oven – lid on the pot – it went, and a little over an hour later, dinner was served!

I took the little chicken out and made the sauce, as directed.  Everything was delicious.

Best of all, both kids liked the whole meal.  Alex even liked the potatoes, and usually he avoids those unless they’re in French-fried or chip form.  But he loved these – go figure!  Thanks, Dorie, for getting my boy to like grease-less potatoes!

Other members of the group will leave their links to their Armagnac Chicken experiences here.  Go check them out!

Comments

[Elin]

Great to have you have you back cooking along with us eventhough it is once a month :) love this dish and yours looks wonderfully good. Happy French Fridays!

[Susan]

Welcome back! Your chicken looks great - we loved this & will be making it again soon!

[Adriana]

That lady chicken is one looker! It must be relieving to find kid-approved recipes that do not involve frying.

[Eileen]

Have to admit, I'm a little jealous that your boy ate the potatoes. Mine wouldn't take a second bite of anything on his plate. Since when do kids not eat potatoes?? Your meal looks beautiful, though. Nice carrots!

[Christy @ Confessions of a Culinary Diva]

Glad to have you back in the group! I love the lady like chicken reference to tressing. Your dish looks great, and lucky you to have fresh carrots from the garden!

[Frankly Entertaining]

I think these groups are fun because there really isn't any pressure. We love to read what people write, however often they want to write! We love this week's recipe at our house. It's great when the whole family enjoys the meal!

[Marie]

Nice to read your post. I also wish I were an every-week-without-fail blogger (and I know I'm going to miss the quatre-quart cake week), but it's fun to be in the group when you can.

[DessertByCandy]

Welcome back to FFwD! I really like the shot of the cooked chicken resting on the chopping board. The truffle salt is such a treat.

[Tricia S.]

So great to have you back and what a post you shared ! I was chuckling at your "lady chicken" crossing her ankles. Very cute. And kudos for having grown your own carrots. The truffle salt looks very fun as well. Our bird did not brown nearly as nicely as yours. I loved the moisture of the meat but missed the crispy chicken I typically get. Still had fun with a new recipe.

[Cher]

Welcome back!
Truffle salt is addictive - I jealousy guard my jar of it. Love the thought of it on popcorn. Beautiful chicken!

[Acookingmizer.wordpress.com]

WOW! I have actually had truffle salt fries and didn't think they tasted like anything special, so maybe I should try popcorn instead???... Love your chicken! Looks so juicy!

[Teresa]

I'm finally catching up on this recipe, which I've made a couple of times, but never managed to blog about. I used Cognac in place of Armagnac and I thought it worked really well. Good to know Brandy works, too. Your chicken browned beautifully!