Ragout of Chicken with caramelised onions, olives and beans

 They say Chicken is now one of the most popular proteins. And reflecting on our last 5 blog posts, 4 have included chicken.  I may be showing my age, but when I was young, chicken was reserved for a Sunday roast every now and again. But now it seems to be the "go to" for midweek or weekend.  Do not be put off by the look of this dish, if looks can be deceiving then this is a "case in point".  It has great depth of flavour and makes a change from tomato based chicken casseroles. Another great recipe from Belinda Jeffery.

Ingredients

1/4 cup plain flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 x medium size raw chicken cut into 8 pieces (or you can buy chicken pieces from your butcher)

1 x tablespoon Olive oil and 1 x Tablespoon Butter

3 x large onions, thickly sliced

140g green pitted olives, sliced and de pipped

140g  black kalamata olives, sliced and de pipped 

(Don't worry if you don't have that many olives or do not want that many olives, I only used what I had in the fridge and it turned out fine.)

500ml Chicken Stock, homemade is ideal otherwise choose good quality free range chicken stock

1/4 cup medium dry sherry

2 teaspoons of lemon zest

6-8 fresh green beans

1 1/2 teaspoons fresh thyme, chopped

lemon juice, salt and pepper to taste

Garnish: lime or lemon slices

Method

In a large bowl combine flour and salt.  Toss in chicken pieces and coat. Shake off any excess flour and lay flat on a plate.

Melt the butter and oil in a heavy based fry pan, add chicken pieces in batches and cook till golden.  Remove with tongs to another plate. Continue until all chicken is browned.

Add the onions to the pan, add a little extra oil if needed. Cover and cook for about 15 minutes.  Stir occasionally.

Uncover the pan and cook for a further 25 minutes on a medium heat until they are golden and caramelised.  Stir regularly to prevent them sticking.

Then add olives, stock, sherry, lemon zest and thyme.  Bring mixture to the boil.

Add the chicken pieces and any juice that has escaped. 

Cover the pan , reduce heat to low and simmer for approx 20 minutes.  Turn the chicken over, add the whole beans and cook for a further 15-20 minutes until they are cooked through.  Remove chicken and beans and keep warm.

Increase the heat under the pan and boil the sauce for 5-10 minutes or until it thickens.  Return the chicken to the pan and spoon to combine.

Taste and add lemon juice, salt and pepper.

Garnish with fresh lime or lemon slices

Serve with pasta or potato and green vegetables.

Mamma Marmalade