Bowl of Chicken in Onion Sauce
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Chicken in Onion Sauce


Spain   -   Encebollado de Ternera
Makes:
Effort:
Sched:
DoAhead:  		 4 main
***
3-1/2 hrs
Yes		 The ingredient list may seem rather simplistic - basically, chicken and onions, and preparation is very easy, but the result is both unusual and delicious.




1-1/2
1/2
1/4
10
1
ar
2
1/3
2/3
1
pinch
1
1/4
#
t
t
oz


T
c
c


t
t
Chicken Meat (1)  
Salt
Pepper
Onions
Head Garlic
Flour
Olive Oil
Chicken Stock (2)  
Wine, dry white
Bay Leaf
Saffron
Salt
Pepper

This is a fine dish for a family meal or party buffet, and reheats well.

Prep   -   (20 min)
  1. Cut CHICKEN into serving pieces. About 1-1/2 inch is fine, or a bit larger for family service (see Note-3). Tumble with Salt and Pepper and set aside.
  2. Chop ONIONS fine.
  3. Peel loose skin from GARLIC, but leave the head intact.
Run   -   (1 hr)
  1. Dust Chicken with flour, shaking off any excess (see Note-3).
  2. In a spacious coverable sauté pan, heat Olive Oil and fry Chicken over moderate heat until lightly browned. Be careful any fond that adheres to the pan does not burn.
  3. Stir in Onions and fry stirring until translucent.
  4. Stir in Stock and Wine, then Garlic Head, Bay Leaf and Saffron. Cover and simmer slowly until Chicken is done, about 40 minutes. Add more Stock only if needed, the sauce should be fairly thick.
  5. Fish out Garlic Head. Squeeze all the pulp out and discard the skins. Stir the pulp into the sauce.
  6. Check Salt and Pepper, adjusting if required. Serve with plenty of steamed long grain rice.
NOTES:

  1. Chicken Meat:

      Weight is skinless, boneless meat. I always use Thigh / Leg meat as it has better flavor and texture than the cardboard flavored breast meat we get around here. The pattern recipe calls a 3-1/2 pound chicken cut into serving pieces, but for buffet service boneless meat is easier for the guests to deal with, and for family dinner there's no fighting over who gets what parts.

  2. Stock:

      Use the bones, skins and fat to make the Stock, so you won't lose any flavor. Defat the stock using your Gravy Separator.

  3. Method:

      The size of the chicken pieces and the flour they are dusted with are a critical factor in this dish. The flour dusting the chicken makes it easier to fry, but it is also the thickener for the sauce. If you cut the pieces quite small you need to be careful to shake off as much flour as you can, or you'll need to add more chicken stock and will end up with quite a lot of sauce. If you're serving with steamed rice, a fair amount of sauce is fine, but for serving other ways you may want a little less.
  4. U.S. measure: t=teaspoon, T=Tablespoon, c=cup, qt=quart, oz=ounce, #=pound, cl=clove in=inch, ar=as required tt=to taste
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