Austrian Chicken in Riesling

March is always a balancing act – acclimating to the later sunsets while going back to waking in total darkness, deciding whether to throw on a sweater over that shirt, forcing in a workout when your body still wants to be hibernating under a blanket with a book in hand.

Accordingly, I’m a little bipolar when it comes to deciding what to cook this time of year. Some days, the cold leaves me wanting rich pastas and hearty stews, other nights I’m antsy for spring’s vegetables and lighter meals.

The opening description to Gourmet’s March feature on Austria described the region’s food as being a mix of hearty German fare with the lighter touch of French food, perfect for that in between weather of March. I was sold.

This chicken in Riesling hit the spot on a somewhat sunny, 50-something degree day after being snowed in for the weekend. It’s essentially a regional variation of coq au vin, using a crisp, fruity Riesling instead of a fuller, more robust Burgundy or Bordeaux, which we typically see here in coq au vin. Instead of onions and mushrooms, a spring-time element is added with the leeks. The dish is also brightened up with a bit of lemon and parsley.

I absolutely loved this; I usually use a Pinot Grigio when cooking with white wine, as it’s one of the few whites I’m likely to want to drink more than one glass of and because most recipes call for a “dry white”. The flavor profile from the Riesling was totally different, and didn’t add as much sweetness as I’d thought it would. I do like a Riesling now and then (especially in the fall, as it pairs so well with pork and pumpkin and other seasonal dishes), so I’ll have to try it out in some other recipes.

The Gourmet version called for ½ cup of cream; I cut that to about 1 tablespoon per serving (or ¼ cup). I try to use cream sparingly so as not to entirely blow the healthfulness of dinner; the reduction helped keep the dish from being too heavy as well. The original also called for a 3 ½ lb whole chicken cut into eight pieces. For convenience, I instead used 1 thigh and 1 drumstick per serving.

Although it is not cooked for a few hours, this is in essence a braise, so it is my contribution to Swirling Notions’ Braisy Chain. The roundup will probably be posted sometime soon, before it’s too warm to think about running the oven for that long, so check it out!

Chicken in Riesling
(serves 4; adapted from March 2008 Gourmet)

4 each bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs and drumsticks
1 tblpsn olive oil
1 tblspn butter
1 large or 2 medium leeks (white and light green parts only), finely chopped
1 small shallot, minced
4 large carrots, peeled and cut diagonally in half
1 c Riesling, preferably Austrian and on the dry side
1-1 ½ lbs red potatoes, peeled but left whole (I used 3 potatoes per person)
¼ c heavy cream
Lemon juice to taste
Salt and pepper
¼ c parsley, chopped

1. Pat chicken dry and liberally sprinkle sat and pepper on each piece. In a large, fairly deep pot with lid, brown chicken (in two batches) in olive oil over high heat. Brown for about 4 minutes on each side per batch. Remove chicken from pan. (Tip: peel and chop your veggies while you do this to multitask and save time)

2. Reduce heat to medium-low and melt butter. Add leeks and shallots and sauté until leeks are a translucent golden color, about 5-7 minutes.

3. Add chicken and carrots to pan, along with wine. Bring to a boil and let reduce for about 5 minutes. Cover tightly (I don’t have a Dutch oven and am always worried about how tight my pan’s lid fits, so I also cover the top with foil before placing the lid on) and cook at 350 for about 25 minutes.

4. While chicken is cooking, bring potatoes to a boil and cook for about 15-20 minutes.

5. When chicken is done, stir in cream and then lemon juice, salt, and pepper to taste. Add potatoes and sprinkle parsley over the top.

6. Be sure to pour plenty of sauce over both chicken and vegetables when serving!