Chicken In Muscadet Sauce With Artichokes

Total Time: 1 hr 45 mins Preparation Time: 25 mins Cook Time: 1 hr 20 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 6
• 1 roasting chicken, cut up
• 8 ounces fat bacon or 8 ounces salt lamb
• 6 ounces chopped onions
• 4 cooked artichokes
• 1 cooked cauliflower
• 75 ml dry wine
• 3 ounces creme fraiche or 3 ounces sour cream
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 tablespoon oil
• 1 bouquet garni
• 1 tablespoon chopped parsley
• 1/2 cup fried crouton
• 1 cup sauce

Recipe

• 1 put 1 tablespoon of oil and 1 tablespoon of butter in a heavy casserole pan. melt it on a low flame. place the chicken pieces in this with the fat bacon or salt lamb that have been simmered 5 minutes in water. (the salt lamb might be too salty. you want 1/4" matchstick sizes, or thick bacon.) cook this until it's beginning to brown, then add the onions.
• 2 brown this some more, then add 3/4 of the bottle of wine. put aside the rest of the wine. season, and add the bouquet garni. bring to the boil, then lower the heat and put the lid on the casserole. simmer about 40 minutes.
• 3 now, prepare the sauce, or finish a prepared sauce. remove the very soft leaves around the hearts of the artichokes using a small spoon, and whizz them in a food processor, or just chop them super-fine. add this to the prepared sauce to which you have added the rest of the bottle of wine. whip this mixture with a wire whisk, add the nutmeg, and keep it hot.
• 4 when the chicken is cooked, after 1 hour or so, put the pieces on a large, deep platter. arrange the artichoke hearts and cauliflower florets around the edge of the platter. keep warm.
• 5 reduce the liquid in the casserole by half. add the sauce. blend in the creme fraiche or sour cream, without boiling it.
• 6 pour this over the chicken and vegetables, sprinkle parsley and croutons over the top.
• 7 the chicken and vegetables shouldn't be swimming in sauce, but there should be enough sauce to keep everything moist.