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AYCLIFFETODAY
Spanish
Chicken
with Sherry
Local chef Andrew Brown brings us his take on a different recipe…
& Tarragon
Before Raymond Blanc the two chefs who inspired me most were Delia Smith and Keith Floyd.
Both had very different styles, Delia controlled, precise and measured and Floyd, wild, free flowing and instinctive. This dish is a
homage to them both being a collaboration of one of each of their recipes and combines two classic flavour pairings, sweet from
the sherry and sour from the sherry vinegar. Sweet and sour chicken like no other.
Here we go…
For four people you will need:
• 1 large chicken, jointed into
legs, thigh’s and breasts
halved into even pieces.
• 150ml xeres vinegar
(sherry vinegar)
• 450ml medium-dry sherry
• 12 round shallots peeled
and kept whole
• 12 cloves of garlic peeled
and kept whole
• 2 tablespoons of olive oil
• 25g unsalted butter
• 100ml crème Fraiche
• 1 beef tomato, skinned,
de seeded and diced
• Small bunch of fresh
tarragon
• Salt and ground black pepper
Season the chicken pieces generously
with salt and ground black pepper.
In a roomy pan heat the oil, add the
butter and when it begins to sizzle
cook the chicken pieces in two or
three batches until they are good
colour. Don’t rush this they want to be
golden, not burnt, so watch the heat.
Keep the browned chicken pieces
on a warm plate to catch any juices
while you fry the shallots and garlic in
the same pan.
When they have taken on some
colour put a sieve over a bowl and
empty the shallots and garlic into it to
remove excess fat.
Now put the pan back on the heat
with the chicken, any juices that may
have collected, the shallots and garlic,
pour in the sherry the vinegar and
bring to a gentle simmer.
This wants to barely bubble for 45
minutes. Turn the chicken over half
way through.
While this is going on scaled and skin
the tomato, half it and squeeze out
the seeds. Cut it into 5mm strips then
into 5mm dice and set aside. Strip the
leaves from enough tarragon stalks to
fill an egg cup and chop it finely.
The chicken is cooked when the thigh
meat can be eased from the bone
without resistance.
Remove the chicken to a serving dish
and arrange skin side up along with
the shallots and garlic.
Turn up the heat, spoon in the crème
fraiche and whisk, reduce the sauce
to a nice consistency, finally add the
diced tomato and tarragon, taste
it for salt and pepper and adjust if
necessary.
Finally spoon the sauce over the
chicken and serve with your favourite
potato and a green vegetable.
Enjoy!