Poulet à la mode aka Chicken Pot Roast in Port # French Fridays with Dorie & Our Week's Menu

Its been weeks since I have done a French Fridays with Dorie post. The thing is the recipes that the Doristas chose for September were mostly fishy or sweet. so i decided to skip them all together. I was about to skip this weeks recipe too but then changed my mind and adapted it cook Chicken Pot Roast in Port ..

this is not quite what the Doristas had scheduled for this week. The French recipe they chose is Boeuf à la mode. but since we do not eat beef, i adapted it to cook Poulet  à la mode. I followed the recipe in spirit simplifying it a bit was convenience. also i added some veggies just to make it more colorful and visually appealing. the result was a great pot roast. husband, toddler and i loved it.  the toddler usually does eat too much chicken but even he finished his portion of this great roast. We enjoyed it with noodles for dinner and the following day toddler and I had the leftovers for lunch along with mashed potatoes. it tasted good either way.

now my adaption of Dorie's  Boeuf à la mode...  

Chicken Pot Roast in Port  Adapted from Dorie Greenspan's Boeuf à la mode recipe in Around the French Table

Preparation Time : 15 minutes                                                                                             Serves : 2-3   Marination Time :  Overnight   Cooking Time : 15-20 min on stovetop + 50 min in the oven                       ingredient to be marinated 1 1/2 pound chicken, cleaned and cut into 4 big pieces 1 onion halved and thinly sliced 1 carrot, trimmed, peeled and cut into chunks 1 celery stalk, trimmed and cut into chunks, the leaves separated and chopped finely the marinade  1/2 tsp dried thyme 1/2 tsp dried rosemary 1 bay leaf 10-15 stalks of coriander, finely chopped 2 cloves of garlic, grated 7/8 cup of Ruby Port 1 tbsp olive oil salt and pepper  for cooking and baking 2 cups chicken broth 3 tbsp canola oil 3 tbsp Cognac or brandy (I used brandy) 3 anchovies 1 tbsp tomato paste 1/4 cup frozen peas, thawed 1/3 cup french fried potatoes (I used frozen) -  instructions Give the chicken pieces a salt and pepper massage and put it in a casserole, or bowl or sturdy  zipper-lock plastic bag, big enough to hold the vegetables and the marinade. Put all the ingredients of the marinade in a bottle, shake it well. Toss the onion, carrots, celery in the marinade and add the veggies and the marinade into the container containing the pieces of chicken. Mix everything as best as you can, cover the container or seal the bag and put it in the refrigerator to marinate overnight. Next day, an hour before you start cooking, take the container out of the refrigerator and allow it to come to room temperature. Once you are ready to cook, center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Strain the marinade. Reserving the chicken pieces and vegetables, pour the liquid into a medium saucepan. Bring the liquid to a boil over high heat and cook until reduced to half. Now add the chicken broth. When the liquid begins to boil remove the pan from heat. Meanwhile heat 2 tbsps of canola oil in a iron skillet. When the oil is hot, add the chicken pieces to the skillet and cook for about 2-3 minutes on each side. Transfer the pieces to a plate and keep it covered with a foil while you cook the vegetables on stove top. To cook the vegetables, add the remaining tbsp of oil and all the vegetables except the potatoes to the skillet. Cook them until the vegetables soften, about 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, pour in the brandy, stir and scrape to loosen any bits that might be sticking to the pan. Add 1/2 cup of the port-broth mixture to the skillet, stir in the anchovies and tomato paste and cook for a couple of minutes until the anchovy melts.  Now, switching off the heat, add the chicken pieces and the remaining port-broth mixture to the skillet, cover it  with a foil and transfer the skillet to the preheated oven. 30 minutes later, take the skillet out of the oven, add the fried potatoes, cover the skillet with the foil again and bake it for another 15 minutes. Then pulling off the foil cover, bake for another 5-7 minutes. Taste the sauce, adjust the salt and pepper and serve with noodles or mashed potatoes or steamed rice and enjoy.

Though the recipe is a bit long, this dish is actually pretty simple to prepare and can be easily pulled off on a weeknight. And once you've tasted it you'll probably keep coming back to it over and over again.

Visit here to know what the other members of french fridays with Dorie have to say. For many more delicious recipes such as this one order your copies of Around the French Table from Amazon or from The Book Depository and join us as we cook our way through the book

So much for today. Since i could not post my weekly meal plan earlier this week, thought I'll include it here.

	Our Menu this Week
Sunday	Escarole and White Beans with Bread
Monday	Butternut squash pudding Souffle, Chickpea Panzanella
Tuesday	Moong Dhal, Baked Potato Fries sauteed with steamed Green Beans, Beet Root Khichadi, Steamed Rice
Wednesday	Poulet à la mode and Noodles with Broccoli sauce, Steamed carrots
Thursday	Breaded Baked Tilapia, Colcannon, Steamed Green Beans
Friday	Pasta with Butternut squash Parmesan Sauce and scrambled eggs
Saturday	Holiday

Take Care and have a good weekend !

Sharing this with Meal Plan Monday @ Organizing Junkie

I shall be sharing the Pot Roast Recipe at the following parties...

Monday Food : Marvelous Mondays @ This Gal Cooks, Melt in your Mouth Mondays, Inspiration MOnday Party, Sharing Monday, Inspire Me Monday, Clever Chicks Blog Hop, Maniac Monday Linky Party,Mix it up Monday, The Scoop

Tuesday Food:  Totally Tasty Tuesday @ Mandy's Recipe Box, Tasteful Tuesday Party @ Nap Time Creations,  Show Me What You Got @ Our Delightful Home,  Hand Made Tuesday @ Ladybug Blessings, Share it Link Party @ Winthrop Chronicles, Tasty Tuesday, Hearth and Soul blog Hop

Wednesday Food : What's Cooking Wednesday @ Buns in my Oven, Cast Party Wednesday @ Lady Behind the Curtain , Show and Share @ Semi Homemade Mom, Wonderful Food Wednesdays at @ Home Take 2

Thursday Food: Link it Up Thursday @ Seven Alive, Creative Thursday @ Michelle's Tasty Creations, Fantastic Thursday @ Three Little Chiefs, Thriving on Thursdays @ Domesblissity, Freedom Friday @ My Turn, Full Plate Thursday @ Miz Helen's Country Cottage  

Friday Food: Foodie Friday @ Home Maid Simple, Friday Favorite (DYI too) @ Simple Sweet Home, Foodie Friday @ Not Your Ordinary Recipes,  Foodie Friday @ Rattlebridge Farm , Weekend Wonders @ The Thriftiness Miss, Friday Food Frenzy @ Mostly Food and Crafts , Weekend Potluck @ Sunflower Supper Club,  The Weekend re-Treat @The Best Blog  Recipes