Red Rooster Chicken

Braised chicken legs with a Chinese-French sauce

Ingredients

• 2 chicken leg quarters
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 Tablespoons grapeseed oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 carrot, trimmed and chopped
• 2 celery ribs, trimmed and chopped
• 1 lemongrass stalk, trimmed, smashed and minced
• 3 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 (1-inch) piece ginger, peeled and minced
• 1/2 cup dry red wine
• 3 cups beef or chicken broth
• 1/2 cup plum sauce
• 1/4 cup dark soy sauce
• 2 sprigs thyme
• 2 sprigs flat-leaf parsley
• 2 bay leaves

Directions

Heat the oven to 325° F. Pat the meat dry with paper towels and season all over with salt and pepper.

Heat the grapeseed oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. When the oil shimmers, add the chicken leg quarters and brown on all sides, about 2 minutes per side; transfer to a plate.

Add the onion, carrot, celery, lemongrass, garlic, and ginger to the pot. Season with salt and cook, stirring often, until the onion softens, about 5 minutes. Pour in the wine and cook, stirring to dissolve any of the brown bits that may still be on the bottom of the pot. Add the broth, plum sauce, soy sauce, thyme, parsley, and bay leaves and bring to a simmer.

Return the chicken to the pot, along with any juices, cover and slide the pot into oven. Braise until the meat is fork-tender, about 2 hours.

Transfer the meat to a plate. Strain braising liquid into a fat separator. If you don't have a fat separator, use a ladle to skim the fat off the top of the braising liquid; then strain through a fine mesh sieve.

Discard the bay leaves and thyme stems, and transfer vegetables to a food processor. Process the vegetables until smooth, then add 1 1/2 cup of the defatted braising liquid to the processor and pulse to combine.

Return the sauce to the Dutch oven and season to taste with salt and pepper. Add the chicken and turn to coat in the sauce; set aside until you're ready to serve.

Reheat the chicken in the sauce. Divide the chicken between four shallow bowls and top each with a spoonful of sauce. Put the remaining sauce in a bowl for passing at the table, along with a bowl of horseradish, if you'd like.