Poulet Sauté à l’Espagnole

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •30 cm (12-inch) ovenproof sauté pan with a tight-fitting lid
• •1.5 L (1½-quart) saucepan with lid
• •Rimmed broiler-safe sheet pan
• •Fine-mesh strainer
• •Instant-read thermometer

Instructions

1. 1

   Make the pilaff

   Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the onion and cook for 2 minutes until translucent but not browned. Stir in the rice and turn every grain through the butter until glossy. Add the chicken stock and ¼ teaspoon of the salt, bring to a lively simmer, then cover and lower the heat. Cook for 13 minutes, remove from the heat, and rest covered for 5 minutes before fluffing with a fork. This produces about 1⅓ cups (320 ml / 225 g) of prepared pilaff rice, the half-pound called for in the original entry. If the rice remains chalky at its core, add 1 tablespoon of hot water, cover, and cook gently for another 3 minutes; if it looks wet, spread it in a wide bowl for 5 minutes.

2. 2

   Poach and blanch

   Lay the chipolatas in the ovenproof sauté pan and add 3 cups of the water. Bring it just to a tremble, never a hard boil, and poach the sausages for 10 to 12 minutes, turning once, until they register 160°F (71°C). Lift them out, let them cool briefly, and slice them into ½-inch (1.25 cm) rounds. Discard the poaching water and rinse the pan. Add the remaining fresh water, bring it to a full boil, and season with ¾ teaspoon salt. Cook the peas à l’Anglaise, plainly in boiling water, for 1 to 2 minutes until tender and vividly green. Drain them thoroughly and dry the pan.

3. 3

   Sauté the chicken

   Heat the oven to 375°F (190°C) with a rack in the middle. Reserve 1 teaspoon of the oil for the tomatoes. Dry the chicken thoroughly, then season it with 1 teaspoon salt and all the pepper. Heat the remaining oil in the sauté pan over medium-high heat until it shimmers. Brown the chicken in two uncrowded batches, skin-side down for 6 to 7 minutes and on the second side for about 4 minutes, until the skin is a deep Maillard bronze. Let each piece release from the pan on its own; if it clings, the crust is not ready. Transfer the browned pieces to a plate.

   Wet chicken steams against the pan and leaves you with pale skin. Dry every fold and joint before seasoning, then give the pieces room.
4. 4

   Drain and assemble

   Take the pan off the heat and pour every visible pool of sautéing oil into a heatproof bowl, leaving the mahogany fond attached to the pan. Mix the pilaff rice with the diced capsicum, peas, and sliced sausages, then spread the garnish across the pan and nestle the chicken over it, skin-side up. This separation is the dish: the oil has done its browning work, and the rice must not drink it. If a puddled sheen appears because some oil escaped you, lift out the chicken and touch a folded paper towel briefly to the rice with tongs. Ça se rattrape. Do not stir the grease further into the grains.

   Keep the brown fond, discard the free oil. Brown tastes savory; black tastes bitter. If any pan flecks have burned black, wipe away only those flecks before the rice enters.
5. 5

   Stew it covered

   Cover the pan tightly and set it in the oven for 10 minutes. The rice will absorb the chicken juices, the capsicum will soften while retaining a little bite, and the sausages and peas will heat through beneath the bird. Check the thickest pieces: the breast must register at least 165°F (74°C), and the thigh should give easily at its joint. If the breast is ready before the legs, remove the breast pieces and return the covered pan to the oven for another 5 minutes. If the rice looks dry, sprinkle 1 to 2 tablespoons of hot water around the edge and let it stand covered for 2 minutes.

6. 6

   Grill and serve

   Arrange the tomato halves cut-side up on a broiler-safe sheet pan. Brush them with the reserved teaspoon of oil and season with the remaining ¼ teaspoon salt. When the chicken is ready, lift it to a warm oval platter and spoon the pilaff garnish beneath, over, and around the pieces, leaving some bronzed skin visible. Switch the oven to high broil and grill the tomatoes about 6 inches (15 cm) from the element for 3 to 5 minutes, until their cut surfaces glisten and their edges blister without collapsing. Ring the platter with all six tomatoes and serve at once. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Large frozen peas are an honest choice outside their brief season. They were picked sweet, they hold their color, and they need only a minute or two à l’Anglaise before joining the pilaff.
• •Choose mild fresh pork chipolatas, not a smoky or heavily spiced sausage. The sausage should enrich the rice without turning the whole pan toward another dish.
• •Use a wide ovenproof pan with a properly fitting lid. A crowded pan gives pale chicken, while a loose lid lets the pilaff dry during its short covered finish.
• •Small cocktail or plum tomatoes work better than large slicing tomatoes under the broiler. They soften and blister while keeping enough shape to ring the platter.
• •Pour a dry rosé or a light young red. Leftovers keep for up to 2 days in the refrigerator; reheat them covered with a spoonful of water so the pilaff loosens without becoming oily.

Advance Preparation

• •The pilaff can be cooked earlier the same day, spread in a shallow dish to cool quickly, and refrigerated. Bring it out while the chicken browns so it loses its chill before the covered oven finish.
• •The sausages may be poached, the peas cooked à l’Anglaise, and the capsicum diced up to a day ahead. Chill them separately and combine them with the pilaff only when the browned chicken is ready.
• •The chicken can be cut and seasoned up to 4 hours ahead, then refrigerated uncovered. The exposed skin dries in the cold and browns more readily.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 400g)