Chicken with Petit Pois a la Francaise (sort of)

As you might imagine, I do get the itch to cook when on vacation. Well, this was a nice little 'welcome back' meal. We hadn't eaten chicken (or any poultry, really) the whole time we were in Spain. Pork is the name of the game down there, which is just fine.

Anyways, this is a Gordon Ramsay recipe and it worked out great. I have NEVER been able to find pearl onions. Ever. So this is only sort of the 'a la francaise' preparation. The dish tasted great without them, though I couldn't help but thinking those little onions would have really elevated the dish as a whole had they been included. Anyhow, enough blathering from me, give this a go!

1.7 kg chicken
3 tablespoons flour
sea salt and black pepper
2-3 tablespoons olive oil
2 carrots, peeled and cut into 1cm cubes
1 large onion, peeled and finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
few sprigs thyme
2 bay leaf
150 milliliters dry white wine
800-900 milliliters chicken stock
handful parsley, chopped

PETIT POIS A LA FRANCAISE
2 tablespoons olive oil
150 g small pearl onions, peeled
few sprigs thyme
1 bay leaf
100 milliliters chicken stock
500 g peas, preferably young and fresh
50 g butter, cut into cubes
2 baby gem lettuce, shredded

Joint the chicken into eight pieces. Season the flour with salt and pepper and toss the chicken pieces in it to coat all over. Heat little olive oil in a wide frying pan and fry the chicken pieces, in two batches over a medium heat until golden brown on all sides. Remove the chicken with a slotted spoon and set aside on a plate.

Add the carrots, onion, garlic, thyme and bay leaves to the pan. Stir and cook over a medium heat for 4-5 minutes until the vegetables are beginning to soften. Pour in the white wine, scraping the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon to deglaze. Return the chicken pieces to the pan, nestling them among the vegetables, and pour in enough stock to cover. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to a low simmer. Skim off any scum that rises to the surface, put the lid on the pan and simmer gently for 30-40 minutes until the chicken is tender.

With a pair of tongs, remove the chicken from the pan and set aside. Strain the stock through a fine sieve, pushing with the back of a wooden spoon to extract as much juice from the vegetables as possible; discard the vegetables. Return the stock to a clean, wide pan. Skim off any excess fat from the top of the liquid, then allow to bubble for 10-15 minutes until reduced and thickened.

Cook the petit pois in the meantime. Heat the olive oil in a large, shallow pan. Add the pearl onions, thyme and bay leaf and saute over a medium heat for 5 minutes. Add the stock, peas and some salt and pepper. Simmer gently for 10 minutes until the vegetables are tender. Stir in the butter, a few knobs at a time, to enrich and help thicken the sauce. Finally, mix through the lettuce and heat briefly until wilted

Return the chicken to the pan and reheat gently in the sauce for a few minutes. Serve with peas and a generous sprinkling of chopped parsley.