Poulet au Porto – Roast Chicken Steeped with Port Wine, Cream, and Mushrooms
This popular favorite of Julia Child is great to serve for guests, but can’t be prepared ahead of time. Preparation and cook times aren’t extremely long, but plan your schedule accordingly.
Ingredients:
- 3 lb Roast Chicken (buy a unseasoned cooked one, or make your own)
- Fresh Mushrooms 1 lb
- Water 1/4 cup
- Butter 1 1/2 Tbps
- Lemon Juice 1/2 tsp
- Salt 1/4 tsp
- Whipping Cream 1 cup
- 1/2 Tbsp Cornstarch blended with 1 Tbsp Cream
- Salt & Pepper
- Minced Shallots or Green Onions 1/2 Tbsp
- Medium-Dry Port 1/3 cup
- Cognac 1/4 cup
Cooking Instructions:
Roast the chicken, or use a pre-cooked roast chicken.
Quarter the mushrooms. Bring 1/4 cup water to a boil and mix in butter, lemon, and salt. Add mushrooms to boiling water and cook over slow boil for 8 minutes. Strain mushrooms saving the liquid for later use. Return mushrooms to pan.
Add cream/cornstarch mixture to mushrooms and simmer for 2 minutes. Remove from heat.
Use a couple tablespoons of the chicken fat to cook shallots for 1 minute in a small sauce pan. Add the port and the mushroom liquid from earlier. Boil down, scraping bottom while stirring. Reduce down to about 1/4 cup. Add mushrooms and cream and simmer 2-3 minutes. Add lemon juice.
Coat a casserole dish with butter and carve the chicken into serving sized pieces into the dish. Lightly salt chicken.
Set casserole dish over medium heat until it begins to sizzle. Pour cognac over chicken and CAREFULLY light cognac with a match, taking care not to burn your face off. Shake the dish lightly to extinguish flames. Pour the mushroom mixture over the casserole and cover. Steep for 5 minutes without letting the sauce boil. Remove from heat and serve.
This dish goes best with potatoes and white wine.
I am a huge fan and learned to cook watching Julia Child and Jacque Pepin, I have their autographs in their cookbook. My aunt Chelsea stood in line for two hours to buy the book and have them sign it! I still watch cooking shows all the time and collect cookbooks at 58 years young. The highlight was when my mother complained to me that, she just couldn’t figure out how to make her mother’s meat sauce for pasta. My “Mimi” was pure blooded Northern Italian! I said to mother, “Why didn’t you just ask me?” and she said, Why would I ask you?” I said, because I followed her around the kitchen and wrote down everything she did!!” I think I was in 6th grade. It worked and Mom invited the whole family to dinner claiming she had finally done it!!