Sunday, November 30, 2008

Chicken Osso Buco

One variation of the traditional osso buco is made with veal shanks braised in a light tomato sauce with carrots, celery, and onions (Wikipedia). I don't like to cook with veal all that often (but I do enjoy it once in awhile) so when I saw this recipe for an osso buco made with chicken, I put it in my "to-make" file. And the fact that it calls for the slow cooker is even better - I assembled the ingredients in the morning and by late afternoon we were ready for a comforting and delicious dinner.

The light tomato sauce along with the blend of vegetables and herbs complimented the tender chicken very nicely. The recipe calls for drumsticks, but I used my old favorite, chicken thighs, instead. We barely needed a knife to cut the chicken, it was so tender! I halved the recipe to serve just the two of us and it worked out perfectly.

Ready to be slow cooked!

Chicken Osso Buco
from MSN Lifestyle
Makes 6 servings

12 medium chicken drumsticks (about 3 pounds)
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup chopped carrots
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped celery
6 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons quick-cooking tapioca
1 8-ounce can tomato sauce
1/2 cup dry white wine or chicken broth
1/4 cup chicken broth
1 teaspoons finely shredded lemon peel
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon dried thyme, crushed
3 cups dried penne pasta
snipped fresh parsley (optional)

Remove skin from chicken. Place flour, salt, and pepper in resealable plastic bag. Add chicken, a few pieces at a time, shaking to coat.

In a 10-inch skiller, brown chicken, half at a time, in hot oil over medium heat about 10 minutes or until golden, turning once. Set aside.

In a 4- to 5-quart slow cooker, combine carrots, celery, onions, and garlic. Sprinkle with tapioca. Place chicken on top of vegetables.

In a medium bowl, stir together tomato sauce, wine, broth, lemon peel, lemon juice, and thyme; pour over chicken in cooker.

Cover and cook on low-heat setting for 5 to 6 hours or on high-heat setting for 2 1/2 to 3 hours.

Prepare penne according to package directions. Drain well. Spoon chicken and sauce over pasta. Garnish with parsley if desired.

5 comments:

What's Cookin Chicago said...

This looks delicious and a great twist to the traditional osso buco!

Anonymous said...

What a FABULOUS IDEA!! I love osso bucco but I try not to eat veal anymore so this is PERFECT! Starred!

Pam said...

I've always wanted to make osso buco. This looks FANTASTIC.

Maria said...

You can't go wrong with pasta in the mix!

The Blonde Duck said...

I've never heard of osso buco till now, but I want to make this!