Friday, January 2, 2009

Chicken Bouillabaisse

The other day I was watching the TV food network and The Barefoot Contessa came on she was making a chicken bouillabaisse. I knew that I needed to make this immediately ,so I made it the next day.

Chicken Bouillabaisse


Ingredients
1 (4 to 5-pound) chicken, cut into 10 pieces
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon minced fresh rosemary leaves
Good olive oil
1 large head garlic, separated into cloves and peeled
1 teaspoon saffron threads
1 teaspoon whole fennel seeds
1 (15 ounce) can tomato puree
1 1/2 cups good chicken stock, preferably homemade
1 cup dry white wine
3 tablespoons Pernod
1 pound baby Yukon gold potatoes, halved
Rouille, ( I did not make the rouille but you can go to the food network for the recipe)

Crusty French bread, for serving

When I watched the show it showed Ina breaking down a whole chicken. I had never done this before  , but I decided to attempt it. I was surprised that this was not that difficult ,and I think the more I do this the easier it will get.

DIRECTIONS
Pat the chicken dry with paper towels and season it generously with salt, pepper, and the rosemary. Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat in a large Dutch oven and brown the chicken pieces in batches until nicely browned all over, about 5 to 7 minutes per batch. Transfer the browned chicken pieces to a plate and set aside.




Lower the heat to medium-low ,and add the garlic, saffron, fennel seeds, tomato puree, chicken stock, white wine, Pernod, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoon of pepper to the pot. Stir and scrape up any browned bits on the bottom, and simmer for 30 to 40 minutes, until the garlic is very tender, stirring occasionally.


Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.
Carefully pour the sauce into the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Puree until smooth. Return the sauce to the Dutch oven and add the sliced potatoes and browned chicken pieces with their juices. Stir carefully.




Cover the pot and bake for 45 to 55 minutes, until the potatoes are tender and the chicken is done.

 Check the seasonings and serve hot in shallow bowls with big dollops of Rouille I did not make the rouille. (and slices of crusty bread. I checked on my bouillabaisse after the 55 minutes the potatoes were not done at all. I kept putting it back in for 55 minutes in the end I think this actually cooked for 3 hours in the oven. But it turned out delicious.

 I sauteed some mushrooms which I put on the side and they were delicious mixed in. 

I served this meal with a chopped vegetable salad and some toasted bread. I chopped many different types of veggies, tomatoes,carrots, cucumbers, red bell peppers, and some fresh mozzarella. I then placed it over a bed of lettuce 

CRAIG'S CORNER!
"Chicken so tender, it falls right off the fork and into your lap. Two thumbs up and one pair of stained khakis - that's how excited I was!"




12 comments:

alexandra's kitchen said...

Oh yum! What an effort well worth it! The Barefoot Contessa has so many good recipes — I think her braised dishes are particularly good.

Happy New Year!

Ellemay said...

I should really stop reading other peoples blogs. For some reason my screen always get eaten.

Alas the Poptarts never arrived. I believe they got eaten by customs.

Oh well. I'm in NY in a month anyway so I can get my fix then.

Thanks anyway!

Snooky doodle said...

looks delicious and the addition of fennel seeds to chicken is really interesting :)

Anonymous said...

Wow, I watched Ina when she was making this, too and thought I need to make this. I haven't yet, but, after reading your blog, I think it is going to be made within the next week. Yum.

Anonymous said...

Great pictures ... makes me want to lick my screen ... lol!

Denise
http://WineFoodPairing.blogspot.com

Anonymous said...

Your pictures make me wanna go on back to the kitchen and start cooking again! They sure look delicious! I'd like to invite you to take some time to drop by at Foodista and share your delicious recipe with us. We have launched an online food and cooking encyclopedia ala wikipedia. Add a recipe and you can win a $100 gift card to Sur la table. Don't forget to register first so we know who to thank the recipe for. Thanks!

Anonymous said...

This is a great recipe... how many pictures did you used!
I am French and I never heard about Chicken Bouillabaisse... but it looks delicious!

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pigpigscorner said...

Looks delicious! This is interesting as I've only had fish bouillabaisse.

Sweet Cheeks said...

Man alive that looks soo good

The Duo Dishes said...

Fennel, saffron and rosemary are three of our absolute faves. ESPECIALLY fresh rosemary! Looks like a winning recipe.

Cakespy said...

Tha happy dance at the end really sealed the deal! This looks really delicious. You provide so many details that it takes away the fear factor too! :-)

Anonymous said...

Hmmm, bouillabaisse is perfect for winter time yummy :)