Fried Chicken in a Walnut-Garlic Sauce Recipe

Author:

Ryan Thomas is a university student who enjoys cooking recipes from a wide variety of culinary traditions.

fried-chicken-in-a-walnut-garlic-sauce-recipe

Pesto, that delightful combination of walnuts and garlic, comes in many different forms, but none perhaps purer than here—where the garlic and walnuts are married to a bit of cream and olive oil. This pungently nutty result combines with delicately sautéed chicken, along with rosemary and thyme, to produce a fragrantly seasoned dish that is easy to prepare. The sauce is sure to delight any pesto aficionado, and the dish is lovely when served with rice and pasta, as these accompaniments will soak up the sauce.

This recipe is based on one from The Georgian Feast, a Georgian cookbook that seems to include quite a few pleasant dishes.

Ingredients

2 pounds chicken, cut up into multiple smaller pieces
1 onion
3 bulbs garlic, peeled
1 cup walnuts, coarsely chopped
salt
pepper
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
2 tablespoons heavy cream
1 teaspoon tarragon
1 teaspoon thyme
5 sprigs rosemary

Instructions

Cut the chicken into smaller serving pieces. Season individually with salt and pepper. Peel the garlic. Coarsely chop the walnuts. Finely chop the onion.
Combine together the walnuts, garlic, heavy cream, and 1 tablespoon olive oil in a blender. Blend until it becomes a smooth paste. If necessary, add in additional liquids if it does not blend, such as chicken stock.
Heat the remaining olive oil and butter in a large skillet. Once hot, add the chicken pieces and onion. Add in the rosemary, thyme, tarragon. Sauté for 10 minutes over medium heat; then close the lid and over low heat cook for another 15 minutes.
Remove the chicken from the heat onto a separate platter. Pour the garlic-walnut mixture in with the onions and the other seasonings, and mix together. Return the chicken to the dish, and cook on low for another 5 minutes, coating the chicken thoroughly with the sauce.
Serve.