Poulet Sauté à l’Égyptienne

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •5-quart (4.7-liter) heavy lidded cocotte or Dutch oven
• •Fine-mesh sieve and heatproof bowl
• •Tongs
• •Instant-read thermometer

Instructions

1. 1

   Prepare the mise en place

   Heat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Set a fine-mesh sieve over a heatproof bowl before cooking begins. Pat every chicken piece thoroughly dry. Taste a morsel of jambon cru and a drop of the prepared veal stock; if both are assertively salty, season the chicken with little or none of the measured salt. Slice the onion and mushrooms, dice the ham, and cut the tomatoes into thick slices that will hold their shape over the chicken.

   Keep the tomato slices at least ⅓ inch (8 mm) thick. Thin slices collapse too quickly and release their water before the chicken has finished.
2. 2

   Colour the chicken

   Heat 2 tbsp (30 ml) of the oil in a 5-quart (4.7-liter) cocotte over medium-high heat until it gleams. Brown the chicken in two batches, skin-side down first, leaving each piece undisturbed until it releases cleanly and wears a deep golden crust. Turn and colour the second side briefly, about 6 to 8 minutes per batch altogether. The meat will not be cooked through. Transfer it to a plate. Keep the hazelnut-brown fond on the bottom of the cocotte, because the covered cooking juices will loosen it later.

3. 3

   Sauté and drain garnish

   Add the remaining 1 tbsp (15 ml) oil to the cocotte, then add the onion, mushrooms, and diced jambon cru together, exactly in that order but without pausing between them. Toss over medium-high heat for 5 to 7 minutes, until the onion is supple, the mushroom edges have taken light colour, and the ham glistens. Immediately tip the entire garnish into the waiting sieve and let it drain for 2 full minutes. If liquid collected early and the garnish began simmering instead of colouring, ça se rattrape: drain it at once, return it to the hot cocotte, and toss for another minute before draining again. No loose liquid should follow it into the finished dish.

   Do not press the garnish in the sieve. A few firm shakes are enough to remove loose oil and watery mushroom juices without crushing the onion or ham.
4. 4

   Layer the cocotte

   Return the browned chicken to the cocotte, arranging the larger leg pieces around the hotter outer edge and the breast pieces nearer the centre. Scatter the drained garnish between, beneath, and lightly over the pieces so chicken and garnish alternate across the pot rather than forming two solid layers. Cover everything with the thick tomato slices, overlapping them only where necessary. Add no stock yet. Fit the lid tightly.

5. 5

   Bake under cover

   Transfer the covered cocotte to the oven and cook for 20 minutes. Check the thickest breast piece away from the bone; it must register 165°F (74°C), while the leg pieces should feel tender at the joint and may reach 175°F (79°C). If the chicken is shy of that mark, replace the lid and cook for 5 minutes more. The tomato should be softened but still recognizable, and the juices beneath should be shallow and glossy, not a pale bath.

6. 6

   Finish with stock

   Just before serving, spoon the warm veal stock evenly over the tomatoes and exposed chicken. Tilt the cocotte once so that the stock meets the browned juices and fond without disturbing the arrangement. This final tablespoon is seasoning and gloss, not gravy. Let it settle for 1 minute, then bring the cocotte directly to the table. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Raw ham here means jambon cru, an unsmoked dry-cured ham, not fresh pork leg and not smoky bacon. Ask for a thick piece that can be diced. Thin folded slices work if necessary, but cut them into broad squares so they do not disappear among the mushrooms.
• •The book’s 3:2:6 proportion of onion, mushroom, and ham is deliberate. The ham is the largest part of the garnish and provides much of the seasoning, so weigh these three ingredients if you can.
• •A refrigerated prepared veal demi-glace is the practical home source for the final stock. Dilute it according to its directions until it tastes like a strong, clean stock, then measure the tablespoon. Do not add the concentrate straight from the package if it is sticky or heavily salted.
• •When tomatoes are poor, use two whole peeled canned plum tomatoes, about 12 oz (340 g), drained thoroughly and split lengthwise. Their texture will be softer, but an honest preserved tomato is preferable to a fresh one with no flavor.
• •Serve from the cocotte with plain buttered potatoes or crusty bread to catch the juices. A light, fresh red such as Beaujolais has enough fruit for the tomato and enough restraint for the chicken.

Advance Preparation

• •Up to 1 day ahead, cut the chicken into pieces, dice the jambon cru, and slice the onion. Keep each covered separately in the refrigerator. Slice the mushrooms and tomatoes shortly before cooking so they retain their texture.
• •Once the chicken has been browned, continue through the covered cooking without a long pause. Partly cooked poultry should not wait on the counter or be chilled for finishing later.
• •Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours and keep them for up to 3 days. Reheat gently in the covered cocotte at 325°F (165°C), adding 1 tbsp (15 ml / 15 g) water only if the juices have set too firmly.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 320g)