Tuesday, August 25, 2009

Garlic Herb Chicken with Cranberry Vermouth Sauce by Boni Passmore Antelope CA

Garlic Herb Chicken with Cranberry Vermouth Sauce by Boni Passmore Antelope CA
2009 Gilroy Garlic Festival Finalist
Serves 6

Ingredients
1/2 cup grated garlic
2 cups plus 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil HINT The Garlic Shoppe sells delicious OLive oil and oil infused with garlic
12 peeled whole medium garlic cloves HINT EZ Roll Garlic Peeler can do this in 3 seconds
1/4 teaspoon fresh grated nutmeg
6 (6 to 7 ounce) chicken thighs, bone in with skin untrimmed
Salt
Fresh ground black pepper
Fresh rosemary
Fresh thyme
Fresh marjoram
Fresh Sage
6 tablespoons unsalted butter divided
1/4 cup diced shallots
1/2 cup dry vermlouth
1/2 cup chicken stock or broth
5 fresh sage leaves torn in half
1/4 cup cream
1/4 cup dried unsweetened cranberries
Fresh sage for garnish
Method of Preparation
In a small bowl, mix grated garlic into 2 cups olive oil. Set aside.
Place whole garlic cloves in a separate small bowl. Drizzle a few drops of olive oil and toss to coat. Grate nutmeg over olive oil coated garlic cloves and toss to coat. Set aside.
Place a chicken thigh, skin side down, on cutting board. With a sharp knife cut out the bine making sure to remove all connective tissue and gristle. Brush chicken thigh with extra virgin olive oil and season well with salt and pepper. In channel left from bone removal, place two nutmeg coated garlic cloves, end to end, overlapping ends a bit. Top garlic cloves with 8 to 10 rosemary leaves, a good pinch of thyme leaves, a good pinch of marjoram, and one sage leaf torn into 3 or 4 pieces. Gently fold in side of thigh with edge of extra skin on top. Secure with a small metal skewer. If any garlic cloves squeeze out, push them back in. Repeat with 5 other thighs. Put stuffed chicken thighs, sealed side down into a 51/2 quart Dutch oven. Mix garlic well to resuspend garlic bits then pour it into the Dutch oven to a depth that just covers the chicken pieces. Bake, uncovered in a preheated 325 degree oven for 75 minutes.
Remove chicken thighs from oil to paper towel lined baking sheet. Remove skewers . Remove skin. Let cool slightly.
While chicken is baking make sauce. Pour vermouth over cranberries and soak for 15 minutes. Drain vermouth from cranberries and reserve both. Melt 1 tablespoon butter in skillet over medium low heat. Add the diced shallots and cook, stirring constantly, until the shallots are cooked and soft. Add vermouth, chicken stock and sage. Increase heat to high and bring to a boil. Simmer rapidly, stirring often. until sauce is thickened and reduced to 1/4 cup. Remove sage leaves. Add cream and bring to a boil. Turn heat to low and whisk in 5 tablespoons butter, one tablespoon ata time. Stir in cranberries. Add salt and pepper to taste. Keep warm.
With a very sharp knife, cut each chicken thigh into four or five slices. Arrange by overapping the slices with cut slices up and down Drizzle with sauce. Garnish with sage spring.

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