Wine Braised Whole Chicken with Green Olives and Raisins

It may be silly, but I'm especially happy to be writing about this recipe. It's a special one because it comes from the mind of my darlin' A. We are equally passionate about the making and consuming of really kick-ass food, but we have different energies in the kitchen. My days in Organic Chemistry lab often come back to haunt me when I'm in the kitchen as I stoop down to eye the meniscus of the liquid in a measuring cup or search out complex, multi step recipes that bring to mind the four-hour stretches I used to spend synthesizing organic compounds. A, on the other hand, is a consummate artist and I never cease to be amazed by his creativity in the kitchen. He has the ability to lay out an assortment of ingredients and, by his own dear alchemy, transform them into something amazing.

I'm often happy to hand the reins over to him and be his sous-chef, especially when it comes to a dish involving meat. After 12 years as a vegetarian, I'm still learning some of the finer points of applying heat to fish, fowl, and beast. One thing that we cook well, and often, is a braised chicken in a garlic, white wine, and rosemary sauce. This recipe is a spin-off on that general concept.

One evening, we had walked over to our local grocery store and walked back with a small chicken with the intention of popping it in the oven, whole, and roasting it. It was pretty apparent though, when we got home, that A had entered mad genius mode. He broke the chicken down into its major components; breasts, thighs, legs, wings. He had me pit and chop green olives. He poked his head into our baking/cooking cabinet (usually my domain) asking me if we had any dried fruit. I offered dried blueberries and raisins. He grabbed the raisins. He poured in some red wine from an open bottle. About an hour later, we had a dish so delicious, I felt like I was on re-play, saying over and over again how good it all was.

So good that when I requested that we make it tonight, I made sure to document the action and share it here.

 

Wine Braised Whole Chicken with Green Olives and Raisins

One whole chicken, about 3.25 to 3.5 pounds

2 tbs olive oil

3 cloves of garlic, peeled and lightly smashed

15-20 green olives, pitted and roughly chopped

1.5 cups raisins

About 2 cups of a dry and light-bodied red wine.

About 1/4 to 1/2 tsp dry thyme

2 tbs butter

salt and pepper to taste.


*** Note on the chicken: If the thought of working with a whole bird worries you, go ahead and buy a package of thighs or breasts or even drumsticks. Just make sure that it still has the skin on, as it's a vital part of the dish. I'm an ardent believer in using a whole chicken for the right recipe. A makes a really, really, good chicken noodle soup, starting with popping the whole chicken in a pot to make home-made chicken stock. But again, this is coming from the girl who has much less experience in breaking down a whole chicken. If you use a whole bird, just make sure you look inside the cavity to discard any innards before moving ahead.

***Note on pitting whole olives: Use a knife with a large, wide blade and carefully (with the sharp edge away from you) use the flat of the blade and press it on an olive. This usually opens the olive just enough so that the pit can be easily picked out from the meat.

If using a whole chicken, use a sharp butcher knife or kitchen scissors to separate the thighs and wings. Use the knife to cut down the breast bone so that you have the two breasts.

In a large, heavy bottom skillet with a lid (we use our 3-quart All-Clad skillet), heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Get the pan nice and hot, so that the oil shimmers when you tilt it in the pan. Lay your pieces of chicken in the pan, skin-side-down and let them brown over the heat for about 5 minutes until the skin is lovely and golden. During this time, toss in the whole cloves of garlic and let them get hot and impart their flavor to the dish. After about 5 minutes, turn the chicken over and add the olives and raisins. Shake the skillet (or use tongs/other utensil) to nestle the raisins and olives down in between the pieces of chicken so that they can contact the hot surface of the skillet. Add your dried thyme. Lower the heat to medium and cook for about 5 minutes.



 
Next, add your red wine. 2 cups is an approximate. You want to add enough wine so that the chicken is submerged about half-way. You want to leave the top of the chicken with its browned skin above the liquid or the skin will get soggy. Bring the wine to a simmer, cover the skillet, turn the heat down, and continue to cook at a simmer for 35 minutes. Check on it periodically.

Heat your oven to 400F and line a baking sheet with foil.

After your 35 minutes have passed, take the chicken out of the sauce and place it on the baking sheet. Put it in the oven for about 5 minutes just to crisp up the skin a bit more without drying it out. There will likely be some fat from the chicken on the surface of the sauce, which I would recommend skimming off as much as you can with a spoon. Turn the heat on your skillet back up to medium-high or even high. Reduce the liquid in the pan by about 1/3 and then stir in the butter to emulsify the sauce. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Serve the chicken with a generous spoonful of sauce over the top.

The final dish; served with al dente brocoli drizzled with garlic-lemon butter.