Chicken Maxengo-Revised

I say revised because this is one of my earliest Reluctant Gourmet recipes and after making it for 10 people recently I realized I would prepare Chicken Maxengo differently from the original recipe. This new version is a lot easier because of some shortcuts added and clearer descriptions.

This is a great recipe to practice how to saute and braise since both techniques are used. I tripled the recipe and served it to ten people at a dinner party, but this recipe is for four to six people depending on what kind of eaters they are. My wife and I wanted to prepare something that we could prep ahead of time with very little fussing once our guests arrived. Once everything was prepped and in the pot, you can relax and spend some time with you friends.

If you have any qualms about serving chicken at a dinner party, get over it. My friends all loved it and said would be delighted if served this in a restaurant, my test that the dish is a hit. We "gourmeted" the diner up by serving crab cakes as an appetizer and fancy fresh green beans (haricots verts), rice pilaf and sautéed spinach with roasted pine nuts.

The original recipe comes from GatewayGourmet.com, a site about making restaurant quality soups and sauces at home. They also promote some of my favorite stock reductions including a product called Glace de Poulet Gold which is basically a roasted chicken stock reduction. You make your own Glace at home by reducing chicken stock in half but I do recommend checking out these products.