Poulet aux Amandes

Serves: 6-8

Ingredients

  • 2 Chickens, weighing 1.5kg
  • 50-75g Butter
  • 1 tbsp Oil
  • 4 large Onions
  • 6 large Tomatoes
  • Cinnamon
  • Saffron
  • 1 litre Chicken Stock
  • 75g blanched Almonds
  • 100g Sultanas
  • 325g Long Grain (Patna or Basmatti)  Rice
  • Chopped Parsley
  • Salt and Pepper

Method

Joint the chickens. Heat 50g of the butter and oil in a large pan and fry the chicken joints until they are golden brown. Remove from the pan. Peel and chop the onions. Skin the tomatoes, remove the pips and chop the flesh. Add the onions and tomatoes to the pan and cook until the onions are soft, stirring frequently to prevent the ingredients sticking. Season with salt, pepper and a pinch of cinnamon and saffron. Add the stock to the pan. Replace the chicken, bring to the boil and simmer gently for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat the remainder of the butter and toss the almonds in it until they are crisp and golden. Add to the chicken with the sultanas and cook for a further 10 minutes.

Cook the rice in boiling salted water for 14 minutes. Drain, then rinse, first under cold, then under hot water. Put in a dish with a nut of butter and leave to dry off in a warm oven.

When ready to serve, pile the chicken joints in the centre of the serving dish and arrange the rice around them. Re-boil the sauce, adjust the seasoning if necessary, and pour over the chicken. Sprinkle with chopped parsley.

Note: If the sauce is a little thin, thicken with 1tsp arrowroot, mixed to a paste with water. Add this to the sauce and let it boil for a minute or two, until it thickens.