Midwinter Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 roasting chicken ⓘ
- 6 carrots ⓘ
- 6 small white onions ⓘ
- 6 small white potatoes ⓘ
- 6 large white mushrooms (fresh, not canned)
- 1 celeriac, bulb (also known as celery root) or 2 stalks celery ⓘ
- 28 ounces whole canned tomatoes or 4 -6 fresh tomatoes, peeled ⓘ
- 1 garlic clove, peeled ⓘ
- 3 tablespoons sherry wine, divided ⓘ
- 6 inches fresh thyme sprigs ⓘ
- 6 leaves fresh parsley
- 1 cup chicken stock ⓘ
- 1 cup heavy cream ⓘ
- 1 cup milk ⓘ
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch ⓘ
- 1/2 teaspoon salt (to taste) ⓘ
- 1 dash fresh ground pepper ⓘ
- 1/8 teaspoon celery seed ⓘ
Instructions
- Cut chicken into serving pieces. Tip--if you divide the breast in 3 pieces lengthwise instead of just 2 the portions will be more even. A very large roaster or stew hen might be big enough to cut the breast crosswise as well into 4 or even 6 pieces.
- Wash and trim the mushrooms.
- Wash, trim, and peel the carrots, onions, celariac and potatoes. Potatoes may be scrubbed and left unpeeled if preferred.
- Cut carrots into 3-inch lengths and cut the celariac into chunks about the size of golf balls. If using celery scrub, trim, and cut into 4-inch chunks.
- Drain tomatoes. Reserve juice for another purpose if desired.
- Heat olive oil in a large, heavy skillet and brown the chicken pieces thoroughly. Drain on paper to absorb excess fat.
- Place vegetables and garlic clove into a large, tightly-lidded roasting pan.
- Arrange chicken pieces on top of the vegetables with the herbs on top of the chicken.
- Pour 1 cup chicken stock into the dutch oven.
- Drizzle 1 tbs sherry evenly over the chicken pieces.
- Roast covered at 250°F for 3-4 hours or until chicken is cooked through and vegetables are tender.
- Remove chicken to a warmed serving platter and keep hot.
- Remove vegetables to a warmed serving bowl, discarding the thyme, parsley, garlic and celery. Keep hot.
- Pour out the pan juices into a bowl and skim away any excess fat.
- Return one cup of the defatted pan juices to the dutch oven along with the cream and the other 2 tbs sherry. Add the celery seed, salt, and pepper. Cook on medium-low heat on the stove top until just simmering.
- Whisk the cornstarch into the milk then add this mixture to the pan. Stir constantly until the gravy simmers. Continue to simmer 2-3 minutes, stirring constantly with the whisk until the gravy thickens. If more gravy is desired there should be plenty of pan juices to make it--just keep the proportions the same to retain the richness.
- Serve each person chicken and vegetables then pass the gravy boat.
- I'd suggest a salad of romaine or butterhead lettuce or buttered green beans as sides and would recommend hearty, crusty bread or rolls to help mop up the gravy.
- If you have a very large platter it would make a pretty presentation to arrange the chicken in the middle surrounded by vegetables, drizzled with the gravy, and garnished with a bit of fresh parsley.
Nutrition & Diet Analysis (per serving)
899
kcal
45% DV
Protein
Fat
Carbs
* % Daily Values based on a 2,000 calorie diet (FDA 2020).
Nutrition is estimated from USDA FoodData Central ingredient data and may vary with brand, portion and preparation — see our methodology. This information is for general educational purposes only and is not medical or dietary advice (disclaimer).