Grilled Chicken with Raspberry Sauce →

It’s summer and the fresh farm produce is coming on strong including fresh raspberries. Friends picked five pounds of the luscious berries and gifted us a good size bowl of the beauties. After gorging on the delightful red juicy morsels, there were enough left for me to try this savory sweet-and-tart raspberry sauce to pair with summer-time grilled chicken or Cornish Hen. It would also work with grilled pork tenderloin. Grill-on!

Grilled Chicken or Cornish Hen with Raspberry Sauce
Serves 4
Ingredients:

• 1 small chicken split in half or 2 Cornish Hens split

• Chicken Marinade

• Savory Raspberry Sauce

  Steps:

  1. Make the marinade and marinate the chicken for 4 hours or more.

  Chicken Marinade:

• ¼ cup Sherry Vinegar

• ¼ cup soy sauce

• ½ cup olive oil

• 1 teaspoon ground dried thyme

• 1 teaspoon ground dried rosemary

• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

• ¼ teaspoon black pepper (or more to taste)
  

  2. Make the raspberry sauce

  Raspberry Sauce:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil

• 1 cup raspberries (preferably fresh, but frozen will work)

• ¾ cup chicken broth

• ¼ cup Sherry Vinegar

• 1 tablespoon minced shallot

• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme (or a heaping ½ teaspoon dried thyme)

• 2 tablespoons honey (divided)

• 1 teaspoon cornstarch (optional)

  Preparation:

  1. In a small saucepan, saute the shallot until just translucent (before it begins to brown)

  2. Add the chicken stock, vinegar, raspberries, thyme, and 1 tablespoon of honey and bring to a boil. Lower heat to a hot simmer and reduce by 2/3.

  3. Remove from heat and strain through a sieve to remove the solids.

  4. Return the reduced liquid to the saucepan over low-heat. Adjust the sweetness if needed by adding the reserved 1 tablespoon of honey.

  5. If the sauce is too thin, mix the cornstarch with 2 tablespoons of cold water or chicken stock and add the slurry to the hot liquid while stirring.

  6. Add a pinch of salt and pepper if desired.

  7. Set aside. You can rewarm the sauce just before serving it with the chicken.

  3. Grill the chicken

• preheat the grill to hot

• remove the chicken from the marinade and wipe with a paper towel. This will help prevent flare-ups on the grill and will produce a crispier skin.

• With the grill top open, reduce the heat to medium and sear the chicken skin side down for 2 minutes; turn over and repeat.

• Close the grill and reduce the heat to low and cook for about 25-30 minutes turning twice.

• Remove the bird to a plate and tent

  *Note: grill time will vary depending on the size of your bird. Use an insta-read thermometer to check the final temperature at 165 F.

  4. Reheat the sauce, plate, and serve

• Rewarm the sauce

• If you cooked a chicken, cut the chicken halves in half again so you have four servings. You don’t have to cut Cornish Hens in half again unless you want to.

• Plate the chicken and pour sauce around the pieces. You might want to put a small bowl of sauce on the table to spoon extra sauce over the chicken.

• Garnish with fresh raspberries. (optional)

  
  Serve with a fresh summer salad, or Gingery Grilled Vegetables, and rice.

  Wine pair: a refreshing chilled rosé, a white wine from the Rhone Valley, Chablis, White Burgundy, or not too oaky Chardonnay will pair nicely.

French Style Chicken →

Our friend in Montreal is a fabulous cook. For years I have tried to replicate the sauce she serves with chicken or game hens. The sauce from this recipe comes close to the rich pan sauce Jeannot makes so effortlessly.

Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 1⁄2 cup flour

• 3-lb. skin on chicken parts (I use thighs, or you can substitute 2 Cornish Game Hens, quartered)

• 2 slices bacon, roughly chopped

• 3 tbsp. olive oil

• 5 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

• 1 cup chicken stock

• 1⁄2 cup dry sherry

• 3 Tbs. Brandy or Cognac

• 2 tbsp. roughly chopped fresh Rosemary

• 2 tbsp. butter, cut into 1⁄4" cubes

• 1 tsp Dijon or Brown Mustard

• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Instructions:

Heat oven to 350°.

1. Place flour in a bowl (or paper bag); set aside.

2. Season chicken with salt and pepper, and dredge in flour; set aside.

3. Heat bacon in a 12" ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat, and cook, stirring, until its fat renders, about 4 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer bacon to a bowl; set aside. Leave the flavorful bacon fat in the skillet.

4. Add olive oil to skillet, and working in 2 batches, add chicken, and cook, turning once, until well browned on both sides, about 12 minutes. Transfer to a plate and tent with aluminum foil and set aside.

5. Pour off excess fat and save.

6. Add garlic to the skillet along with 2 Tbs. reserved chicken fat and cook, stirring, until golden brown, about 2 minutes.

7. Add stock and sherry, and return chicken to the skillet, skin-side up; sprinkle with reserved bacon along with parsley, and then dot with butter.

8. Transfer skillet to oven, and cook, basting twice during cooking, until chicken is cooked through and tender, about 30 minutes;

9. Remove chicken from sauce and tent

10. Strain sauce; reserve sauce and separate grease

11. Use reserved chicken fat and 1 Tbs. flour to make a roux; mix well until roux is the consistency of thick sauce and slightly browned.

12. Add strained sauce to roux whisking constantly to avoid clumps in the sauce; add a bit of chicken broth if sauce is too thick.

13. Add 3 Tbs. Brandy/Cognac and bring to a boil

14. Add 1 tsp mustard; mix well; bring to a boil while whisking; pour over chicken; serve.

Recipe adapted from https://www.saveur.com/article/Recipes/Dolores-Brokenhearted-Chicken/

Inspired by my dear friend Jeanne Renaud.