Garlicky Portuguese Style Chicken
Ingredients
1 medium Onion, thinly sliced
6 cloves Garlic, thinly sliced
2 medium Pear−shaped tomatoes, seeded and chopped
1/3 cup Chopped baked ham
1/2 cup Golden raisins
1 Chicken (3+lbs)
1/2 cup Port wine
1/4 cup Brandy
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons Tomato paste
1−1/2 tablespoons Cornstarch blended with
2 tablespoons Cold water
1 tablespoon Red wine vinegar
Salt
Parsley & tomato wedges
Preparation
In a 4 quart or larger electric slow cooker, combine onion, garlic, tomatoes, ham and raisins. Reserve chicken neck and giblets for other use; rinse chicken inside and out and pat dry. Tuck wingtips under; tie drumsticks together, if desired.
Place chicken on top of onion mixture.
Mix port, brandy, mustard and tomato paste; pour over chicken. Cover; cook at
low setting until meat near thighbone is very tender when pierced. (7 1/2−8 hrs).
Carefully lift chicken to rack of a broiler pan. Broil 4−6 inches below heat until golden brown (about 5 minutes).
Transfer to a warm platter; keep warm. Skim and discard fat from cooking liquid; blend in cornstarch mixture.
Increase cooker heat setting to high; cover and cook, stirring 2 or 3 times until sauce is thickened (abouut 10 more minutes).
Stir in vinegar; season to taste with salt. To serve, garnish chicken with parsley sprigs and tomato wedges. Carve bird and serve.
Chicken Cookings Tips:
Do not overcrowd chicken pieces when cooking. Leaving space between them will allow them to brown and cook more evenly.
If using a marinade for basting, set some marinade aside before placing raw chicken in it to marinate. Never reuse marinade that the chicken was marinated in for basting.
Be sure to use a sharp knife when cutting or carving chicken. Sharp knives will make the job a lot easier, especially when having to cut in the joint areas, and will provide neatly cut slices and pieces.
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