Julia Childs Recipe 1

Let the Julia Child cooking Begin!

 

Fondue de Poulet a la Crème (Chicken Simmered with Cream and Onions)

  

I'm not attempting to do a Julia & Julia type thing here. I am, however, trying to expand my cooking repertoire and cooking confidence.

 

I want to face down a few recipes that intimidate me. I want to cook something that's not from the foodnetwork. I want to learn some traditional recipes and gain some new staples.

 

This is the perfect entry level recipe that my mom selected on a recent visit!  There weren't too many ingredients, and not too many complicated steps. The title says it all - Chicken simmered with cream and onions - and it cooks almost just that easily!

 

The result was incredibly delicious. The chicken looks bland and understated, but the flavor is rich & extravagant. I would absolutely serve this to guests at a dinner party.

 

How'd this first Julia Child Chicken get made, you ask? Let me show you.

 

The trick to this recipe was not letting anything brown.



 

 

Cook Chicken for 5 minutes, turning and not browning.

Take out the chicken, cook diced onions for about 5 minutes - without browning.

Add the chicken back in, and cook some more. Still no browning! Of course.

Add salt, pepper, curry, and cream. Bring to a boil & then let simmer for 30-35 minutes. Turning once.
After that, take out the chicken and bring back to a boil to reduce the sauce by at least half. Add lemon juice, more cream, salt & pepper to taste. Et Voila!



The Final result. Delicious!

Serve with: Mme. Childs recommends serving with Risotto, but I went with the classy boil in bag brown rice. Can't rush the culinary magic. This was magnificent, I already can't wait to try it again.

If I were to do it again, I'd also serve it with a crunchy green - broccolini, asparagus, or zucchini.


Ingredients
 

• 2 1/2 to 3 lbs. of cut-up frying chicken
• I used thighs - I used skin on, bone in, but would use skinless next time
• 3 Tbsp. butter
• 1 1/2 cups diced yellow onions (I used sweet onions)
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/8 tsp white or black pepper 
• 1/4 tsp curry powder
• 1/3 cup cognac, Calvados, Madeira, or port; or 3/4 cup dry white wine, or 1/2 cup dry white vermouth (I used whatever white I had on hand)
• 3 cups whipping cream brought to a boil in a small sauce pan 
• Salt and pepper, drops of lemon juice
• 3 to 4 tbsp whipping cream (used to finish the sauce at the end of cooking).
• Parsley

 

Recipe

• Dry the chicken thoroughly. Turn it in hot butter for 4 to 5 minutes, until the meat has stiffened slightly but has not browned. Remove to a side dish.
• Stir the onions into the butter in the pan.
• Cover and cook very slowly for 5 minutes, or until the onions are fairly tender but not browned. 
• Return the chicken the casserole pan, cover and cook slowly for 10 minutes until chicken swells slightly and stiffens, but does not brown.
• Turn it once during this period. 
• Season the chicken with salt, pepper, and curry powder.
• Pour in the spirits or wine, raise heat, and boil rapidly until the liquid has almost entirely evaporated.
• Pour on the hot cream, bring to a simmer, baste the chicken and cover the casserole. Maintain at low simmer for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the chicken is tender and its juices run a clear yellow when the meat is pricked with a fork. The cream may look slightly curdled, but will be smoothed out later.
• Take the chicken out and place in a hot platter, cover, and keep warm for 5 minutes while finishing the sauce. Almost done!
• Skim fat off the sauce, then boil rapidly, stirring until it reduces enough to coat the spoon lightly. Correct seasoning, adding lemon juice to taste.
• Turn off the heat & beat in enough extra cream (by spoonful) to smooth out the sauce.
• Pour the sauce over the chicken, decorate with parsley and serve to the hungry masses.

Thanks Mom for your recipe selection & all the help!

JC Ticker
Julia Child Recipe: 1
JC Recipe 2 of 40.