August 20th, 2009
Oh, So Good!!….Chicken with Madeira and Chutney
This was very delicious. It is one of my favorite recipes, and is one of those that look good for a party when you pair it with the right wine, and side dishes; an aromatic rice, spinach, asparagus and mushrooms sauteed in butter.
Before I give you the recipe, I want to tell you a few things. This recipe needs Madeira wine and I was out of it so I decided to go to a new liquor store that opened up this summer in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, called Outlet Liquors. It is located on 4315 Coastal Highway, also known as Rt.1. Tel. 302-227-7700.
Tom works at the liquor store and asked if I needed assistance. I mentioned that I was looking for 2 wines. One, the Madeira and the other was an Italian wine imported by PortoVino. You can check out their website www.portovinoitaliano.com . At Tom’s suggestion, I got the Buondonno, Chianti Classico. Will let you know how we like it later on.
Looking for the Madeira, Tom explained to me that the reason Madeira has a distinctive flavor is because the burnings that went on for years on the island.
So, I decided to check out Madeira before continuing with the recipe.
Madeira is a Portuguese archipelago. It is not geographically part of a specific continent, but has belonged to Europe for 600 years even though is closer to Africa.
The word “madeira” means “wood”. In Spanish it is “madera”. The name was given by the Portuguese explorer Gonslaves Zarco. The island was so covered with trees that he named it Madeira.
According to legend, Zarco set the island on fire and it burned for 7 years until the island was covered with a thick blanket of ashes. The earth absorbed those ashes. The Madeira’s wine definite flavor is attributed to that event.
The island of Madeira is a very popular year-round resort.
Madeira wine was a favorite of Thomas Jefferson and was used to toast the Declaration of Independence.
This recipe also has Chutney and maybe you know what it is, but just in case, here is a simple explanation.
Chutney originated in India. One of the most common fruits used is mango. The word chutney comes from the East indian word Chatni. Fruits are crushed together with a stone. Beside the fruits, it contains sugar and vinegar and a variation of cloves, garlic, tamarind and any other fruit you might like. That is what makes the flavor, the combination of fruits.
And now here is the recipe:
Chicken with Madeira and Chutney
3 whole chicken breasts, skinned, boned and split in 6 halves
2 tblsps. butter or margarine
6 green onions, including tops, sliced
1/2 tsp. minced fresh ginger root
4 tsbps. Major Grey Chutney, or other chutney
1/3 cup of Madeira wine
3/4 cup chicken broth, homemade or purchased
3/4 cup whipping cream
salt and pepper to taste
2 tbsps. crystallized ginger (optional and can be purchased at any grocery store)
parsley sprigs for garnish (optional)
I always like to marinate my chicken. You may skip this step but if you choose to marinade it, just do it for a couple of hours. I use the Gazebo Room Lite Green Salad Dressing and Marinade.
Pat chicken dry. Melt butter in a wide frying pan over medium heat. Add chicken, a portion at a time without crowding. Cook, turning after 5 minutes until no longer pink when slashed in the thickest part. About 10 minutes total.
When chicken is cooked, transfer to a platter.
Add onions, ginger, chutney, Madeira and broth to the pan. Increase heat to boiling point, stirring, for about 4 minutes. Lower the heat and add cream and any juices drained from chicken. Heat up again just a bit and add the chicken breasts already cooked so that they get nice and warm again. Season to taste.
To serve place chicken on a platter and spoon half of the sauce over the chicken. Garnish if you want to with the crystallized ginger and parsley and pass remaining sauce at the table.
Serves 6
Note: I actually prefer the thin cut breasts and just buy however many needed for the evening. You might not need to cook them as long as the larger breasts. Sometime I add extra green onions and a bit more chutney. But, like I have said before, make it your own and enjoy it just the way you want to.
The information on Madeira and Chutney was taken from the following sources: www.intowine.com, http://en.wikipedia.org, and www.fundinguniverse.com
Tags: Bethany Beach, Delaware Beaches, Lewes, Liquour Stores, Recipes, rehoboth beach
