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A 2½- to 3-pound chicken, cut into and finely chopped (about 4 cups)
8 serving pieces ¼ c flour
½ tsp salt 2 c chicken stock (fresh or canned)
½ tsp ground hot red pepper (cayenne) ¼ c thinly sliced pitted green
½ c vegetable oil olives
4 T butter ¼ c dry sherry
¾ pound fresh mushrooms, trimmed, A 10-ounce package frozen artichoke
wiped with a dampened cloth, hearts, freshly cooked
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Pat the pieces of chicken completely dry with paper towels and season them
on all sides with the salt and red pepper. In a heavy 12-inch skillet, heat
the oil over moderate heat until a light haze forms above it. Fry the chicken
in the hot oil, starting the pieces skin side down and turning them
frequently with tongs for about 20 minutes, or until they brown richly and
evenly. To be sure that the bird is cooked to the proper degree of doneness,
lift a thigh from the pan and pierce it deeply with the point of a small
skewer or sharp knife. The juice that trickles out should be clear yellow;
if it is still tinged with pink, fry the chicken for 2 or 3 minutes more.
As they are cooked, drain the pieces of chicken briefly on paper towels.
Then arrange them on a heated platter and drape them with foil to keep them
warm.Meanwhile, in another large heavy skillet, melt the butter over moderate heat. When the foam subsides, add the mushrooms and, stirring occasionally, cook for 5 minutes, or until the mushrooms are tender and the liquid that accumulates in the pan has evaporated. Do not let the mushrooms brown. Remove the pan from the heat and reserve the mushrooms.
When the chicken has cooked its allotted time and been transferred to the platter, pour off all but about 4 T of the fat remaining in the skillet and in its place add the flour; mix well. Stirring constantly with a wire whisk, pour in the chicken stock in a slow, thin stream and cook over high heat until the sauce comes to a boil, thickens heavily and is smooth. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 2 or 3 minutes to remove the raw taste of the flour.
Stir in the mushrooms, olives, sherry and artichoke hearts, and simmer for a minute or so longer to heat them through. Taste for seasoning, then ladle the sauce and vegetables over the chicken and serve at once. Serves 4.
14 T plus ½ pound butter, all cut 2 one-pound chicken breasts, skinned,
into ½-inch bits boned and halved
1 medium-sized onion, peeled and 1 tsp salt
cut crosswise into 1/8-inch ¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper
thick slices ½ c flour
½ c finely chopped fresh mushrooms 1 T vegetable oil plus vegetable oil
½ c finely chopped scallions, for deep frying
including 3 inches of the green 1 large boiling potato, peeled and
tops cut into ¼-inch dice
1 T finely chopped garlic 2/3 c tarragon vinegar
¼ pound cooked smoked ham, sliced 1 tsp crumbled dried tarragon
¼-inch thick, and cut into ¼-inch 10 whole black peppercorns
dice 4 egg yolks
½ c dry white wine 1 T water
2 T finely chopped parsley plus 4 2 T strained fresh lemon juice
fresh parsley sprigs, both should ¼ tsp ground hot red pepper (cayenne)
be the flat-leaf Italian variety
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First, prepare the ham mixture in the following manner: In a heavy 8- to
10-inch skillet, melt two T of the butter bits over moderate heat. When the
foam begins to subside, add the onion, the mushrooms, ¼ c of the scallions
and the garlic. Stirring frequently, cook for about 5 minutes, or until the
vegetables are soft but not brown and the liquid that accumulates in the pan
has evaporated. Add the ham and stir until the mixture browns delicately.
Then add the wine and chopped parsley and, stirring constantly, cook briskly
until the mixture is thick enough to hold its shape almost solidly in the
spoon. Remove the skillet from the heat and cover to keep the ham mixture
warm.Pat the chicken breasts dry with paper towels and season them on all sides with ½ tsp of the salt and the black pepper. Roll one piece of chicken at a time in the flour to coat it lightly, and vigorously shake off the excess flour.
Melt 8 T of the butter bits with 1 T of vegetable oil in a heavy 10- to 12-inch skillet set over moderate heat, stirring so that the butter does not brown. When the foam subsides, add the chicken breasts and, turning the pieces occasionally, cook over moderate heat until they are lightly and evenly browned. Reduce the heat to low, cover the skillet tightly and simmer the chicken for about 20 minutes, until it is tender and shows no resistance when pierced deeply with the point of a small, sharp knife. As it simmers, use a bulb baster or a large spoon to baste the chicken every 7 or 8 minutes with the pan juices.
Meanwhile, preheat the oven to its lowest setting. Line a shallow baking dish with a double thickness of paper towels and place it on the middle shelf of the oven.
Pour vegetable oil into a deep fryer, or large heavy saucepan, to a depth of 2 or 3 inches and heat the oil until it reaches a temperature of 375° on a deep-frying thermometer. Pat the diced potato completely dry with paper towels, place the dice in a large sieve and lower the sieve into the hot oil. Stirring the dice with a skimmer or slotted spoon, deep-fry them for 2 or 3 minutes, until they color lightly and evenly. Transfer the potato to the paper-lined dish and keep it warm in the oven.
About 10 minutes before the chicken is done, make the béarnaise. Combine the vinegar, the remaining ¼ c of scallions, the tarragon, parsley sprigs and peppercorns in a small enameled or stainless-steel saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat and cook briskly, uncovered, until reduced to about 2 tablespoons. Strain the liquid through a fine sieve into a small bowl, pressing down hard on the seasonings with the back of a spoon to extract all their juices before discarding the pulp. Set the liquid aside.
In a small heavy pan, melt the remaining ½ pound plus 4 tablespoons of butter bits over low heat. Do not let the butter brown. Remove the pan from the heat and cover to keep the butter warm.
Working quickly, combine the egg yolks and water in a 1½- to 2-quart enameled or stainless-steel saucepan, and beat vigorously with a wire whisk until the mixture is foamy. Then place the pan over the lowest possible heat and continue whisking until the mixture thickens and almost doubles in volume. Do not let the yolks come anywhere near a boil or they will curdle; if necessary, lift the pan off the heat from time to time to let it cool for a few moments.
Still whisking constantly, pour in the reserved warm melted butter as slowly as possible and continue to beat over low heat until the sauce thickens heavily. Beat in the lemon juice, red pepper and the remaining ½ tsp salt, and then taste the béarnaise for seasoning. Set the sauce aside off the heat .
Before assembling the Chicken Pontalba, add the deep-fried potatoes to the ham mixture and stir over moderate heat for a minute or so to blend the mixture and heat it through. Spoon the mixture onto four individual heated serving plates, dividing it evenly among them, and smooth the top with the back of the spoon. Place a chicken breast on each portion and ladle the béarnaise over it. Serve at once. Serves 4.
