Chicken Cacciatore, Spaetzle, and Duck

Another day of chicken! This time, we focused on chicken cacciatore, an Italian recipe for braised chicken in a tomato-based sauce. There are multiple steps and combination cooking involved in this recipe, in order to execute it properly:

1. season and bread the chicken (prep step)
2. pan-fry the chicken for a few minutes on each side (cooking #1)
3. add veggies to the same pan that had the chicken, which is now removed (cooking #2)
4. use brandy to flambé the veggies in the pan and add demi-glace (meat stock reduction) and wine (cooking #3)
5. put chicken back in pan and place in oven (cooking #4)

 This method of combination cooking works for several reasons. Pan-searing the chicken seals in the natural juices and puts a brown crust on the meat. Adding the veggies to the same pan as the chicken juices infuses the veggies with the poultry flavor. Then, flambé-ing the veggies with brandy adds the alcohol flavor to the veggies while burning off the actual booze. Then, we add demi-glace (a beef or veal stock reduction) and a white wine for additional flavor depth in the sauce. The chicken is finished in the oven so that it can cook all the way through while sitting in the meat/wine/brandy/veg sauce and absorb the flavors.

Flambé!

Since the sauce is rich, it is served with a mild side dish, like pasta, gnocchi, or spaetzle (see below). If served on the same plate, the pasta soaks up the gravy and becomes extra yummy.

Below, my first plate of cacciatore with slices of raw mushroom, but chef didn't care for it, so I fluted and sauteed a different mushroom instead.

Below, classmate Bracha mixing spaetzle with her hands.

After mixing, the batter is placed in the fridge for 20-30 minutes to solidify. Then, the batter is pushed through a spaetzle maker or colander into a pot of boiling water. The spaetzle pieces boil until they float to the top of the water and then are removed from the water with a slotted spoon or skimmer.

Finished spaetzle! Typically, the pieces are sauteed in oil or butter, or placed in the oven to crisp up. I sauteed mine in herbed olive oil with sage and thyme.

While the cacciatore was roasting in the oven and the spaetzle was chilling in the fridge, I worked on a duck confit with classmate Sheva. The first step was to break down the ducks, just like we did with the chickens - into quarters and breasts. The quarters were braised in their own fat for about 2 hours until they about fell off the bone. These pieces will be shredded and packed in fat to be used later in the semester. The breasts will be used for duck l'orange, which is sliced duck breast served with an orange sauce.

Below, duck fat and skins rendering down.

Crispy duck skin:

Below, duck l'orange with supremes of orange. The duck breasts are considered dark meat, so they were nice and juicy!

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Spaetzle

6 eggs
2 cups of water
1.5 lbs of flour
1 tsp salt
pinch of nutmeg
4 oz. butter or fat
pinch salt and pepper
1/4 cup chopped parsley or other fresh herbs

Whisk eggs in a bowl. Add water, flour, salt, nutmeg, and herbs. 
Mix by hand until you have a gooey paste and place in fridge for 20-30 minutes to chill.
Bring a pot of salted water to a boil.
Remove from fridge and push through a spaetzle maker or colander into the pot of boiling water. Let the dumplings cook for 3-4 minutes until they float to the top, and remove with a skimmer. Heat a saucepan and melt butter. Place the dumplings in the saucepan and saute until they  have a golden crust.
Serve with chicken and gravy, tomato sauce, or just eat plain!

Enjoy!