Fricassee Chicken with Vinegared Peppers

[JayBassin]

Fricassee Chicken with Vinegared Peppers

Serves 4 as Main Dish.

Easy, casserole-like dish that's very tasty. The cooking process takes the harshness out of the vinegar. Scaling up the recipe makes it an inexpensive dish for a crowd. Serve with rice pilaf.

• 1 fryer, cut into 8 pieces and optionally skinned
  
• 2 bell peppers (red, green, or one of each), seeded and cut into long strips
  
• 1-1/2 c distilled white vinegar
  
• 1 medium onion, sliced into 1/8" wedges
  
• 2 large white mushrooms, sliced
  
• 3 large cloves garlic, sliced paper thin
  
• 1 c flour (Wondra-style works best)
  
• 1 T minced dried herbs
  
• salt, pepper, paprika, powdered garlic
  
• cooking oil
  

Read the entire recipe through first.

Preferably a few days or up to a week before, pack sliced peppers into a glass jar and cover completely with vinegar, seal, and keep in fridge.

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Drain peppers, reserving vinegar.

I prefer to skin the chicken because the fricassee makes the fried skin gummy. Lay out pieces of chicken and sprinkle on both sides with salt, pepper, paprika, garlic, herbs. Sift flour over, coating well. Bang off the excess flour, leaving the herby flour on counter (should be about 1/3 or 1/2 C). Saute in hot oil until chicken is quite brown on both sides. As the chicken pieces are done, remove to a roasting pan large enough to hold all the pieces in 1 layer.

If you haven’t removed the skin first, pour off the excess fat from the skillet, leaving about 1 tablespoon. If you did remove the skin, add about 1 Tbs oil. Saute the mushrooms until lightly browned, and add the sliced onions and continue saute until they become translucent. Add the sliced garlic and cook until soft (not brown). Spread the cooked mushrooms and onions and raw (pickled) peppers over the chicken in the roasting pan. Keep the skillet on the burner.

Stir the reserved flour into the skillet, then deglaze with the reserved vinegar, adding it quite slowly until the lumps are gone. Bring to a simmer. Pour over the chicken and vegetables in roasting pan, cover tightly with foil, and bake until quite done, about 30 minutes.

Keywords: Main Dish, Easy, Chicken

( RG1406 )