Chicken in Vin Santo is smart enough for entertaining yet easy enough for any night of the week. Vin Santo is an aged, sweet wine produced in Tuscany and makes a wondrous sauce.
Ingredients
1/3 cup (50g) plain flour
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
4 chicken supremes (skin-on breast with wing joint attached)
1/3 cup (80ml) extra virgin olive oil
2 red onions, sliced
400g Swiss Brown button mushrooms, halved if large
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
200mls vin santo or dry marsala
1 cup (250mls) chicken stock
4 bay leaves or sprigs rosemary
Lemon juice (optional)
Soft Polenta
1 litre (4 cups) milk – or combination of milk, chicken stock & water
1 large (200g) brown onion, quartered
4 bay leaves
4 cloves garlic, quartered
8 black peppercorns
1 cup (170g) instant polenta
40g butter, chopped
Baby zucchini
1 tablespoon (20mls) extra virgin olive oil
400g baby zucchini
Zest of 1 lemon
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
½ cup (125 mls) chicken stock or water
Instructions
Season flour with salt and pepper and coat chicken both sides.
Heat ¼ cup oil in a large frying pan over medium high heat. Brown the chicken on both sides, about 7 – 8 minutes in total. Remove chicken to a plate and reduce heat to medium-low. Add onions and saute until almost tender but not browned. Add remaining tablespoon oil to the pan and add mushrooms and garlic.
Add vin santo and boil for one minute, then add chicken stock and bay leaves or rosemary. Return chicken to the pan. Bring to the boil then cover and reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer 10 – 15 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.
For the Polenta: Combine the milk, onion, bay leaves, garlic and peppercorns in a large saucepan and bring almost to the boil. Strain the milk and return to the pan, discarding the onion, leaves, garlic and pepper. Whisk in the polenta and cook until bubbling, whisking continuously. Whisk in the butter and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Serve immediately or set aside and whisk occasionally.
For the zucchini: heat a large frying pan over medium high heat. Add zucchini and toss to coat with oil. After a couple of minutes add the lemon zest and garlic. When aromatic, add the chicken stock and simmer until tender, about 5 minutes.
Uncover chicken pan and simmer just to reduce the sauce if necessary. Taste and if too sweet add a squeeze of lemon juice.
Ladle a scoop of soft polenta on each of four plates, add chicken and sauce and zucchini. Grind over black pepper and serve immediately.
