Chicken Cacciatore with Farro and Foxen Winery Volpino 2015

Brine two each organic free-range air-chilled skin-on and bone-in chicken thighs and drumsticks for 90 minutes to 2 hours.

Brine

4 cups filtered water
3 tablespoons pickling salt
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
2 teaspoons dried Italian herbs

I find it’s helpful to mix the brine using my stick blender, as it ensures that the salt and sugar dissolves. I put the chicken in a zip-lock gallon bag and pour the brine over. I then put the bag in a large dish, making sure all of the chicken pieces are submerged, and put it in the refrigerator.

After brining the chicken pieces, remove them from the brine, rinse them very thoroughly, dry them with paper towels, and allow them to rest and come up to room temperature on a paper towel-lined plate. Dust the pieces with Wondra flour, coating throughly but shaking off any excess.

Sauce

1 tablespoon olive oil (I’m a big fan of the California Olive Ranch brand)
½ onion, diced fine
½ cup finely diced carrot
6 ounces cremini mushrooms, stemmed and chopped roughly (freeze and save the stems for future stock making)
3 ounces shiitake mushrooms, stemmed and chopped roughly (ditto)
3 cloves garlic
1 tablespoon tomato paste (I only buy tomato paste in tubes, which is much less wasteful than cans; I like the Cento brand)
1 14.5 ounce can of diced tomatoes, drained (as always, I strongly prefer the Muir Glen brand)
pinch red pepper flakes (or two or three to your taste)
1 teaspoon dried Italian herbs
½ cup white wine (I buy packs of 187 ml bottles of Woodbridge Pinot Grigio to minimize waste)
1 cup chicken bone broth (I’ve become a big fan of using my Fagor multi-cooker to make homemade bone broths, but that’s another recipe, and Kettle & Fire brand broths are a very acceptable substitute)
1 tablespoon fresh basil chiffonade
salt and pepper

I cooked the chicken and sauce in my Culina electric skillet. Set the skillet to 350° and, after allowing it to come to temperature, add the olive oil to the skillet. Brown the chicken pieces on all sides, achieving a deep brown but not allowing the skin to burn. Transfer the chicken pieces to a plate. Reduce the heat to 275° and add the onions and carrots. Add a pinch of salt. Sweat the veggies until they are translucent and just starting to brown at the edges, stirring often. Add the mushrooms and crank the heat back up to 350°. Add a pinch of salt and a couple of grinds of pepper. Sauté the mushrooms for about 6 minutes, or until they have softened and are beginning to brown, add the garlic and tomato paste and sauté for another minute. Add the tomatoes, pepper flakes, herbs, and wine. Allow the wine to reduce by half. Add the broth. Reduce heat to a low simmer. Taste and add salt and pepper if needed. Return chicken pieces to the pan and nestle into the sauce, pour any accumulated juices from the chicken pieces’s resting plate into the sauce, cover the pan, and cook 25-30 minutes, stirring and flipping the chicken pieces occasionally. Adjust heat if necessary to maintain a simmer without either boiling the sauce or letting it just sit in the pan.

Check chicken thighs with a meat thermometer to make sure they hit 175°. If so, transfer all pieces to service plates. Add basil to sauce. If sauce has gotten too dry, add some broth to loosen it to your taste. Taste and add salt or pepper if needed. Top chicken pieces with sauce.

I wanted something rustic and easy to serve with the chicken. Alessi Farro Al Funghi was a great choice. It basically cooked itself while I kept an eye on the chicken.

We drank a 2015 Foxen Vineyards Volpino, which is one of our favorite Cal-Ital wines. It’s a blend of predominately Sangiovese (>80%) and a dollop of Merlot, sourced from Central Coast vineyards in the Santa Ynez valley. On the nose and palate, it suggests rose petals, raspberries, strawberries, and plums, with undertones of earth and sage. Yum. Grade: A-