Thursday, January 12, 2012

French Friday with Dorie: M. Jaques Armagnac Chicken

 HOT OUT OF THE OVEN

Emmie Lou Who and Baby M are home for a few weeks and Emmie needs special care...expecting Baby #2, and her doctor wants her to take it easy for a few weeks...just a minor problem but we don't want anything to become a bigger problem.

Dinners like the one assigned for this week are perfect for Emmie who loves vegetables and healthy meals like this chicken dish.  We made 2 pots (barely fit into the oven) so that she can have healthy leftovers.  We shredded the second chicken and made BBQ sandwiches that were delicious and shared with other family who came to hang out.

MOIST CHICKEN AND FLAVORFUL VEGETABLES
We added sweet potatoes to Dorie's mix, clipped fresh rosemary, thyme, and oregano, found a bay leaf,  and then added peach syrup to make the sauce...no alcohol for our house.  The syrup added a lovely sweetness that helped the veges to caramelize a bit and added great flavor.  But, this meal was being consumed before I could reduce the sauce and pour over the chicken and veges before serving.  No matter, the veges were tender and flavorful as was the chicken.

This chicken dish smelled so good that as soon as it was removed  from the oven, it was being eaten.  Even before I could get it onto a serving plate; just couldn't wait.  Hubby agreed that this meal is delicious.

And I like the fact that this meal is easy to put together.  These are common, pantry vegetables.  Everything goes into one pot, or two at our house, roasts relatively fast due to a high heat, cleans up easily, and tastes delicious.


2nd POT--COOKED A LITTLE LONGER FOR SHREDDING
This is a great winter dinner, perfect for families, and just right for busy people who want to put a meal in the oven and forget it while it cooks.  We'll make this again soon.

Even though this meal appears to be common in many ways, what made it different for me is cooking at such a high heat, and the addition of a sweet syrup which added great flavor and added to the wonderful cooking aroma...made everyone want to be home for dinner.  These little differences that work are one reason I enjoy this group...new ideas every time.

SIMPLE, HEALTHY, FLAVORFUL FAMILY MEAL
Just looking at these photos makes me want to eat this again.

Hope you all are enjoying the beginnings of a great new year.  I look forward to seeing your meals.

19 comments:

  1. Hope Emmie Lou and Baby are okay...it's good they have you to help them out. This looks really great - I love the idea of adding sweet potatoes. Hope you enjoyed the holidays with your family!

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  2. We love this simple chicken dish too, glad you all enjoyed it too! I like that you aded more veggies, why not, I don't think you can ever have too much.

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  3. I really loved how simple this was.
    The thought of BBQ chicken is making me hungry :-)
    Have a great weekend.

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  4. We loved this, too, Kris. You're right - the perfect, healthy meal for when you're busy.

    I hope all is well with your daughter!

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  5. Agreed! This recipe is simplicity itself, and that's why it is so good. We loved it as well and will definitely be making it again.

    And I'm sending positive thoughts for your daughter.

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  6. Nice touch with the peach syrup as a replacement for armagnac. I can see the caramelization on the vegetable in your photos! Now you inspired me to try this dish again adding sweet potatoes too!

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  7. Great idea to use the peach syrup! That must have added a nice flavor to the veg. I hope your daughter is well. She's in good hands!

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  9. Easy to put together wins for me too. Looks great!

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  10. Happy 2012, Krissy! I hope Emmie's pregnancy wraps up well. I loved this chicken and will definitely be making it again. What kind of peach syrup do you add? Is it a homemade/pureed fruit concoction? I'm curious.

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  11. The ease of this one was the best part for me. Love a meal you can cook in one pot!

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  12. It's so good to see you back, Kris! I have missed you. I hope you and your family had a wonderful holiday. What a great idea to add sweet potatoes in with the other veggies which I bet made it naturally sweet and the peach syrup for the liquor sounds wonderful.

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  13. Kris, I love that you added sweet potatoes to this dish...bet they were a delicious addition. Hope your daughter is doing well. Have a nice weekend!

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  14. Oh, I love your idea of sweet potatoes - they would be great! And so nice to have comfort food! Of course, two chickens are always better than one. So happy that you enjoyed it so much!

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  15. I agree about the addition of sweet potatoes- boy everyone is loving this genius idea !! And I love the idea of how you shredded the extra for bbq sandwiches. This was so moist it would make it amazing. I may need to revisit this after all :)How lovely you were able to make extra and keep Emmie in good standing- best of health to her.

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  16. I'll bet the sweet potatoes were a good addition. I tend to forget about sweet potatoes, but I'm glad whenever I remember.

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  17. The sweet potatoes are a great addition and I love the idea of peach syrup instead of alcohol! Hope all goes well for Emmie!

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  18. This tender, moist chicken is just perfect for shredding! The sweet potatoes sound like a great addition too. I did like how easy this one was to put together and then delicious to eat.

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  19. Your chicken looks delicious nestled within all those root veggies!

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