A Thoroughly Modern Millie

“You know, when you are in France, you never even see chicken on a menu because chicken is what the French eat at home, so they don’t even bother with it in a restaurant.”
This is my mother’s favorite bit of French culinary knowledge that she picked up on her last trip to Paris and she constantly relays it to friends, family, and guests.
So when my champagne braised chicken had been presented, devoured, and praised with, “That was so good I could have eaten that in a French restaurant.”
My reply was simply, “But Mom, they don’t serve chicken in French restaurants. Didn’t you know? That’s what the French eat at home.”
My mother finished licking the finger that was in her mouth, rolled her eyes, and took her empty dish to the sink without a word.
This past semester, armed with my seasoned cast iron stock pot, which weighs about 10 pounds and is the only contribution I made to my apartment’s kitchen, I became obsessed with braising.
I braised beef and chicken in various combinations and ways at least twice a week. Braising is brilliant. Its generally a one-pot-meal and the flavors that develop are just too good to be true.
This recipe was adapted from an old Gourmet recipe that calls for Riesling originally, which we didn’t have on hand so I substituted Champagne… with dazzling results.
This past Friday, I decided to throw a dinner party for a few girlfriends before I left for the summer to tackle my dream internship in New York City. It was the last opportunity I’ll have for 9 weeks to cook in a fully furnished proper kitchen, as I’ll be working with borrowed pots and pans and whatever-else my cousin feels like throwing my way in a dangerously small NYU dorm kitchen for the remainder of the summer. Alas….
The night was lovely, with lots of wine and roses, good company, and even better conversation- we talked about our favorite books and we talked about politics – just like real grown-ups. And if I may say so myself, all in all it was a pretty good meal. Fingers were licked and plates were cleaned.
Now, with all my bags packed (and, yes, my spice collection in tow), I will be escaping the orange acid glow of Los Angeles to bask in the thick and sour air of New York City.
And for those of you who would like to transform your kitchen into a French Brasserie tonight, or pretend you’ve been whisked off to a little stone cottage in Provence, I highly recommend the Champagne Braised Chicken – its what the French would eat in restaurants….if they ate chicken in restaurants.

Champagne Braised Chicken with Cippolini Onions

* This recipe calls for a whole chicken. I don’t eat thighs so I only use whole chicken breasts with skin and the ribs attached and legs.
** I also usually skip the potatoes
***I have used both crème fraiche and heavy cream, and I have to say, I much prefer using heavy cream

1 whole chicken OR your choice of parts weighing more or less 3 lbs
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 tablespoons butter, divided
2 medium leeks finely chopped (about 1/2 cup)
8-10 cipollini onions, whole
2 tablespoons finely chopped shallot
1 cup champagne
4 carrots, chopped in large pieces
1/4 pound of fresh chanterelle or oyster mushrooms
1 1/2 pounds small red potatoes**
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1/2 cup crème fraiche or heavy cream***
Fresh lemon juice to taste

Preheat oven to 350°F with rack in middle.

1. Fill a small pot with water and bring it to a boil. Blanch the onions for a minute or two, strain the water, and remove skins. Set aside.

2. Pat chicken dry and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon salt and a rounded 3/4 teaspoon pepper. Heat oil with 1 tablespoon butter in a wide 3 1/2- to 5-quart heavy ovenproof pot over medium-high heat until foam subsides, then brown chicken in 2 batches, turning once, about 10 minutes total per batch. Transfer to a plate.

2. Leaving the rendered chicken fat in the pot, brown the onions in the same pot you used to brown the chicken.

3. Transfer onions to the same plate with the chicken. Next, cook the leeks, shallot, carrots, and mushrooms in the same pot, adding the remaining two tablespoons of butter. Cook until the leeks and shallots are pale golden and the carrots and mushrooms are slightly browned.

5. Add chicken, skin side up and cipollinis back into the pot, along with any juices on the plate. Add the champagne and boil until liquid is reduced by half, 3-4 minutes. Cover pot and braise chicken in oven until cooked through, 20-25 minutes.

6. While chicken braises, peel potatoes, then generously cover with cold water in a 2- to 3-quart saucepan and add 1 1/2 teaspoons salt. Bring to a boil, then simmer until potatoes are just tender, about 15 minutes. Drain in a colander, then return to saucepan. Add parsley and shake to coat.

7. When the chicken is out of the oven, remove chicken to a plate and stir crème fraîche or heavy cream into the remaining mixture. Season with salt, pepper, and lemon juice, then add potatoes and serve!