Jitterbug's Stewed Chicken...

I don't know who Jitterbug is or was but I do know that she/he knows her chicken!  This recipe is from Emeril's Delmonico Cookbook - it's one you'll want to make for friends, family or even just for yourself when you need some REAL comfort food.  The rich and flavorful gravy that accompanies this chicken has narcotic properties...seriously, you won't care about anything or anyone when you eat this - just that there's another bite after another.  Serve it over rice, like Emeril and I did, or over mashed potatoes or even pasta - poured over gnocchi this would guarantee transportation to utopia!   

Not being a big believer in miracles, I witnessed one yesterday - and being the Sabbath had nothing to do with it either.  We went to the Church of Seafair and watched the Angels...The Blue Angels...there's just nothing like watching them scream over Lake Washington - it was definitely a religious experience but that wasn't the miracle...we raced home from our special view spot on Lake Washington (that only a few hundred people know about) and threw dinner on the table for friends who were visiting from out of town...and when they arrived the miracle started...I asked the mister to help set out the food and he replied, "Yes Dear."  Then I asked if he would get some more chairs and he said, "Yes Dear."  This continued all throughout the evening...he smiled and was courteous and dare I say?  Yes, even charming!  That's right, I'm still talking about the mister!  Apparently his disposition is helped considerably when surrounded by beautiful women and is extremely enhanced when one of them is rich and widowed!  Who knew that's all it would take to make him pleasant to be around?!?  All this time I thought he was just constipated!     

Make this.  Make this tonight.  Make it this Sunday.  Make it and eat it and then send me a thank you.  It's down-home-good-to-the-bone-comfort-food-like-you've-never-tasted...I guarandamteeit.

Jitterbug's Stewed Chicken - Adapted from Emeril's Delmonico Cookbook

4 chicken breasts, rinsed and patted dry

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/4 cup olive oil

3/4 cup finely chopped yellow onions

1/2 cup finely chopped celery

1/4 cup finely chopped green bell peppers

2 teaspoons minced garlic

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1 quart chicken stock or broth

1 tablespoon Kitchen Bouquet

2 teaspoons Chicken Base or other thickener (I used Better Than Bouillon Chicken Base which I found at my local supermarket - it's a chicken-flavored paste that thickens soups and stocks, it's pictured above along with the Kitchen Bouquet, which flavors and darkens broths, soups and stews.)

3 cups white rice or mashed potatoes or pasta

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Season both sides of the chicken with the salt and pepper.  Heat the oil in a Dutch oven or large heavy pot over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, add the chicken in batches and cook until golden brown, 3 to 4 minutes on the first side, and 1 to 2 minutes on the second side.  Transfer to a plate.  Reduce the heat to medium and add the onions, celery, and bell peppers to the fat remaining in the pan and cook, sitrring , until soft, about 3 minutes.  Add the garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds.  Add the flour and cook, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon to make a light roux, 1 1/2 to 2 minutes.  Stirring constantly, slowly stire in the stock.  Add the Kitchen Bouquet and the chicken base and stir well.  Return the chicken to the pot and bring the liquid to a boil.  Remove from the heat and cover.  Carefully transfer the pot to the oven and bake until the chicken is tender, about 30 moinutes.  To serve, transfer the chicken to 4 large plates and spoon the rice along the side.  Spoon the gravy over the chicken and the rice, as desired, and serve immediately.  Serves 4.

"If more than 3 people tell you you're an ass then it's time to get yourself a bridle."  Old Spanish Proverb