Name: Chicken Smothered in Sweet Onion Cream with Country Ham
Yield: Serves 6
Cuisine: France
Ingredients: 3 whole chicken legs (about ¾ pound each), separated into drumsticks and thighs; 3 tablespoons heavy cream; 1 tablespoon chopped flat-leaf parsley; ¼ cup dry white wine; ⅓ cup finely chopped, drained canned tomatoes; Flour, for dusting; 2 tablespoons Armagnac or other brandy; Salt and freshly ground pepper; 3 tablespoons rendered duck fat or extra virgin olive oil; 4 ounces dry-cured ham, such as Bayonne or prosciutto, trimmed; 2 pounds sweet onions, such as Vidalia, quartered lengthwise and thinly sliced crosswise; 2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced; 3 chicken breast halves on the bone (about ½ pound each), cut crosswise in half; 1 bay leaf

Preparation info

Serves
6

Difficulty
Complex

Appears in

The Slow Mediterranean Kitchen

By Paula Wolfert

Published 2003

About

In this famous dish from southwest France, chicken is infused with the flavors of meltingly tender onions, Armagnac, and silky-salty Bayonne ham, for which prosciutto makes an admirable substitute.

If you think slicing up two pounds of onions will result in a lot of eye watering, try this method I learned in southwest France: sprinkle the chopping board with a few drops of vinegar. If that doesn't help, sprinkle a few more drops of vinegar directly on the onions as you slice them. W