Poulet à la Fermière

We have entered the season of one-pot meals.  I made a batch of chili over the weekend.  Tomorrow night it'll be a pot of soup.  And last Friday it was Poulet à la Fermière (chicken by the farmer's wife) accompanied by a good loaf of bread and some stinky cheese.

I make a vegetarian version with soy chicken, which is actually quite tasty, but it can be made either way.  Our recipe is adapted from one that appeared in Gourmet magazine, back in the days when that lovely publication still existed.

I'm sharing the recipe here because every time I make it I vow to make it more often and then I misplace the recipe.  Now it'll be among those on my blog and I'll have no excuse.  And, well, we all need a little inspiration and a new recipe now and then, right?

Happy fall and happy cooking.

Poulet à la Fermière
adapted from Gourmet March 2001

2 lb chicken thighs and drumsticks. (I often use soy chicken torn into pieces i.e. Worthington Chiketts or one of the Quorn products.)
1 tbsp unsalted butter
6 sprigs parsley
2 sprigs thyme
1 bay leaf (not California)
4 carrots, cut diagonally into 1-inch slices
2 cups pearl onions
½ cup white wine
⅓ cup chicken broth (or veggie broth)
1 lb small potatoes (peel or not)
⅔ cup crème fraîche
1 cup baby peas
1 cup grated Gruyère

Best pan: Le Creuset covered casserole or large covered saute pan

Pat chicken dry and season with salt and pepper. Heat butter and brown chicken in batches, 8–10 minutes. Remove from heat and pour off all but 1 tbsp fat.

Make a bouquet garni of the parsley, thyme, bay leaf and add to pan with carrots and onions. Add wine and deglaze over high heat until volume is reduced by half.

This is what browned soy chicken looks like.

Fingerling potatoes work great in this recipe.

Add broth and chicken, skin sides up, and simmer covered about 10 minutes. Add potatoes, some salt and pepper, and simmer covered until chicken is cooked and potatoes are tender, about 15-25 min. (If I use soy chicken I add the chicken and potatoes together.)

Preheat broiler and remove bouquet garni. Stir in peas and crème fraîche and correct seasoning. Sprinkle Gruyère on top and broil until browned and bubbling (takes longer than you think).

Serves 4

My sous chef -- good luck finding someone as cute as him to help you out.