Sherry Wine Simmered Chicken ~ inspired by the classic dish Chicken Fricassee

For this dinner I was inspired by the classic, simmered Chicken Fricassee, a la Julia Child.  It's a pretty easy way to make chicken and I can make a lot of different meals with the leftovers.  From cold chicken, to sandwiches, to casseroles, to soup ~ it's all good!

One of my favorite ways to cook a whole chicken is to simmer it in a big pot on the stove. It's done simply ~ I just use water with a variety of herbs and spices.  Sometimes I'll include a little wine or veggies, just to up the flavor-ante and change-it-up a bit.  I'll make it with a whole chicken or with chicken parts, just depends on what's for sale at the market that week...or what's in my freezer on the day I want to make it.

This time I simmered the whole chicken with ~ a big glug of sherry, sliced onions, celery stalks with leaves, fresh parsley sprigs, garlic cloves, whole pepper corns, cloves, and a few bay leaves.

The chicken goes into a big pot; I add enough cold water to cover the bird; toss in whatever ingredients I'm using that day; bring it up to a boil; then reduce back down to a simmer; and let it gently bubble away.  When simmering chicken, I just wing it (heehee, no pun untended:) in regards to the amount of ingredients that I throw in, mostly going with how much I have on hand and what I think will taste good.

I let the chicken simmer for about an hour, carefully turning it over every 15 minutes.  How long I cook it really depends on how big the bird is and if I'm using a whole chicken or just parts. (I wrote about how much I like to make poached/simmered chicken thighs on this blog post)  I like to use the Perdue Chicken site for a handy reference for the correct cooking temperature for cooking/eating chicken.  I use my instant read thermometer to check the bird and when it's at the correct temp, we're good to go.  :)

We just cut it up in the pot and serve it with veggie sides.  I usually like to serve the breast the first night and then I make different dishes from the leftovers ~ the next night or later in the week.

I served this meal with a mushroom gravy and steamed veggies ~ YUM!

I can get a lot of meals out of preparing a chicken like this.  The remaining chicken might be cut into pieces and coated with BBQ sauce for another dinner; or maybe I'll shred it for chicken sandwiches or for use in a casserole; I save the broth and make soup; and you can't beat eating a cold chicken leg for lunch.  :)

Of all the ways I cook chicken, I think this has become my favorite way of preparing it.  I can really make my food budget go so much farther when I make chicken this way instead of baking it.  The meat seems more tender, there is less shrinkage and I get the added bonus of having a pot of flavorful chicken broth when I'm done.  I routinely get 12+ meals out of one bird this way ~ from the first slices of breast meat, to using the last bits in a chicken soup ~  chicken made this way just keeps giving.  A $6 bird becomes a cheap way to feed my family when I make it this way, and I'm all for that!