Roasted Chicken in an Apricot Sauce
~ 2 pieces of bone in chicken per person (I prefer BY FAR chicken thighs – they are more moist, tender and “sweeter” than breast)
~ 1/4 cup of extra virgin olive oil, or butter
~ Coarse sea salt ( regular sea salt is fine but does not have that wonderful texture of the coarse)
~ Fresh ground pepper
The Sauce
~ 1 cup of heavy cream and 2 tablespoons of butter milk ( use one cup of sour cream if you can’t get buttermilk)
Whisk together in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Place in a warm/ room temperature place overnight (12-24 hours) on the kitchen counter to develop. You may place leftover creme frâiche in the refrigerator for a few weeks!
Add this to sauce when on the stove heating:
~ 2 slightly heaping tablespoons of the finest apricot preserves you can obtain (it will have more apricot and real sugar and less corn syrup).
~ Pinch of sea salt and few grinds of the pepper mill.
Pre-heat oven to 350.
Place 1 cup of creme frâiche in small saucier pot on the lowest heat on the back right sauce burner with 2 heaping tablespoons of apricot preserves, pinch of sea salt and few grinds of fresh ground pepper. Stir occasionally and let it reduce a bit for 45 minutes. Shut of heat when time is up.
Meanwhile, brown chicken pieces in a large pan with the extra-virgin olive oil or butter (butter is the traditional ingredient in Cuisine Classic/Haute Cuisine of French cooking oilve oil is more from Nouveau Cuisine – your choice)
Cover pan and and place in oven for 30 minutes. Uncover and cook an additional 30 minute, allowing the skin to crisp.
Place chicken in individual plates after it rests for 5 minutes and spoon sauce over the chicken.
Gloat over the moaning from your guest.
