Cognac Chicken

This Cognac Chicken is adapted from a Dorie Greenspan recipe.  It is easy to do – particularly since once the casserole is in the oven you have to leave it undisturbed for over an hour.

You need a casserole dish which can snugly fit a whole chicken plus some vegetables around it.  This meant that I bought a smaller chicken than usual.

Preheat your oven to pretty much full whack.

While it is heating, truss up your chicken and rub it with salt and white pepper.

Put your casserole dish onto the hob and put a thin layer of oil on the bottom – I used olive oil with a teeny bit of garlic infused olive oil.

Toss your vegetables around in the oil to coat them.  For the vegetables I had 6 or so little potatoes (skin on), 2 small onions (shallots) and a carrot which I sliced on the diagonal.  Add salt and pepper.

Stir in your herbs – fresh thyme, rosemary and a bay leaf.

Push your vegetables towards the sides and pop your chicken in the middle.  

Pour ½ cup of cognac (or brandy) around the chicken.  Leave it on the hob for a minute so the cognac warms up.

Put the lid on your casserole – make sure it is tight fitting or add a layer of foil.

Leave it in the oven for a minimum of an hour.  I had mine in for 1 hour 20 and feel that it could even have benefitted from another 10 minutes or so.

When you are satisfied that the chicken is cooked, put it and the vegetables into a warm bowl covered with foil while you finish the sauce.

The sauce is not thickened at all.   You just skim the fat off the top – or at least as much of it as you can be bothered.  Add a cup of water and boil it away while stirring now and again until it has reduced a bit.  And that's it.