Chicken Bourguignon

Chciken Cordon Bleu

Chicken Bourguignon can be a little complicated to make, but the effort is well worth it.

Chicken Bourguignon is similar to Chicken Cordon Bleu,  but with a red wine sauce instead of white.  The traditional Swiss Cheese and ham is replaced with an Asiago, prosciutto and mushroom mix.

It is shown here served with Easy Steamed Rice and broiled zucchini which has been topped with nacho cheese.

Chicken Bourguignon

Serves 4 - 6

Ingredients

  • 12 - 16 boneless, skinless chicken thighs

Sauce

  • 1/3 cup of your favourite red wine (that you will have with this dinner)
  • 1 2/3 Cups unsalted chicken broth
  • 2 Tbsp flour mixed together with 1 tbsp butter and then 1 tbsp barbecue sauce
  • 1/3 cup brandy
  • 2 Tbsp butter or olive oil
  • salt and pepper to taste

Stuffing

  • 2 Tbsp butter or olive oil
  • 3 Thin slices chopped Prosciutto (or could substitute with 3 tbsp chopped Black Forest Ham)
  • 5 or 6 Largish mushrooms which have chopped
  • 1 Tbsp fresh chopped chives (or 1/2 tsp dried chives)
  • 3 Tbsp shredded Asiago cheese (could substitute with Mozzarella cheese)

Garnish

  • fresh chopped parsley

Directions

Stuffing
Slice the mushrooms and then cut again.
Chicken Bourguignon - prepare the mushrooms
Melt butter in frying pan or add olive oil when pan is warm. Stir in the mushrooms and chopped prosciutto and cook gently until soft (about 3 - 5 minutes).
Chicken Bourguignon - cook the mushrooms and prosciutto
Take off the heat and add the chives and Asiago and heat/stir until the cheese is melted. Set aside.
Thread a poultry needle with cotton twine (you can probably seal with toothpick if you do not have a poultry needle). Open up each boneless thigh and place about 1 tbsp of the mushroom mixture and sew shut or use a toothpick to seal.
Chicken Bourguignon - stuff the chicken
When all the thighs have been stuffed (don’t worry if you have a little mushroom mixture left over, you can use it in the sauce), melt and additional 2 tbsp in a frying pan or add olive oil to a warm frying pan and brown the thighs all over.
Chicken Bourguignon - brown the chicken
Pour the brandy over the chicken and light it. When flames have died down remove the chicken to a plate and stir up all the bits. Add any remaining mushroom stuffing that you did not use.
Chicken Bourguignon - flame with brandy
Measure the flour and work into the flour mixture the tbsp of butter. This will thicken the sauce, but the butter helps to keep the flour from clumping. Add the barbecue sauce to the flour butter mixture.
Chicken Bourguignon - flour butter barbecue sauce
Add the flour-BBQ sauce mixture and a small amount of the broth and heat gently mixing the ingredients. Gradually add the rest of the broth and wine. Cook, stirring constantly until it starts to thicken. Taste, season with salt and pepper if desired.
Add the chicken, bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer uncovered about 20 min. turning the thighs occasionally and basting with the sauce.
When done, sprinkle with fresh parsley and serve with cooked rice (see recipe for Plain Steamed Rice - you can do the initial cook of the rice in chicken broth for more flavour, but not necessary).
Chicken Bourguignon

Easy Steamed Rice

Serves 2

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup uncooked rice (makes 1 cup of cooked rice)
  • 1/2 Tsp salt
  • 3 - 4 Cups of water or chicken, beef or vegetable broth

Directions

Bring the water and salt to a rolling boil. Add the rice and stir it to prevent it from sticking to the bottom. Cook the rice in the boiling water for 10 minutes.
Drain the rice into a strainer and then fill the bottom of the saucepan that you just used with about 2 - 3 inches of water. Place the strainer on the saucepan (ensure that the rice is not sitting in water. Cover the strainer and bring the water to a boil (steaming the rice). Cook for at least 20 minutes, but can continue to steam it until it is ready to be eaten. To increase the number of servings, just add more rice to the boiling water and follow the other steps.
steamed rice
Variation 1
I will often cook some onions and mushrooms in a small frying pan and add them to to the cooked rice before serving. Sometimes I just add a tablespoon of butter to the rice and stir it in.
Variation 2
If you would like to cook brown rice, increase the initial cook time in the water from 10 to 14 minutes and then steam it until it is tender.
Variation 3
Cook the rice in chicken, beef or vegetable broth instead of water for the first 10 minutes and then steam over water as described above.

Comments

Chicken Bourguignon — 1 Comment

  1. This was delicious – I deliberately added chopped mushrooms to the sauce to add a bit of umami. Mmmmm!

    Variation 2 of the easy steamed rice is repeated twice.