Osso Buco-style Chicken and Family Fibs

Osso Buco is one of those meals that reminds me of family, a home away from home, and a sense of belonging...  and hidden family secrets. It was a dish I was first introduced to when I was far away at University many (many) years ago. Almost every weekend in my first year (and beyond), I'd escape to the comfort of my sister's place in order to quell my homesickness.  My sister is a fantastic cook and introduced me to the joys of homemade meals: planning them, preparing them and enjoying them with friends and family. She also introduced me to the joys of red wine, limoncello, frangelico, Bailey's and coffee, but I digress (that's what older sister's are for, correct?). Her Osso Buco was definitely one I remember well, not only for how tender and delicious it was, but also how we had to tell a little white lie in order to get her eldest daughter to try it. At a very early age Haley was and still is very much concerned about the environment and all things ethical (thank goodness because someone has to care about these things.) If she knew that we were eating a meal containing veal (ie baby cows chained up so that they can't move in order to maintain their soft, delicate, lovely meat tenderness), I'm pretty sure that she would have something to say about it and would refuse any part of it. So we did what all good families do: we didn't tell her. We also didn't tell her about her grandmother's yummy meatballs that she loved so much... also made of veal. Oh, families and their fibs. Gotta love em.  Of course we couldn't keep it a secret forever, and I don't think she's too scarred from the truth (maybe only slightly) and I think she's almost forgiven us. Almost.

That's why when Haley sent me this Osso Buco-style chicken recipe she found, I knew I had to try it. Not only because she raved about how delicious it was, but to also make amends.  I did change things up a bit from the original recipe, partly due to taste preference, partly due to what I had available in the kitchen. It still does remain true to the modern version of the Osso Buco recipe: braised tomatoes, carrots, onion (leeks) and wine.  I didn't make the gremolata, but it would be a lovely addition especially if you're entertaining guests (we didn't have any fresh parsley, and we were too lazy to go out and buy some.... and truth be told, now that we're on the subject of being truthful, we may have already emptied the bottle of white wine.) We also substituted polenta with jasmine rice - I think polenta would go great with the meal, however my husband recently expressed his dislike of polenta. Not sure why, it's kind of like mashed potatoes to me, and he loves mashed potatoes...but not polenta apparently. Go figure. You can also go all traditional and serve it with risotto if you are feeling ambitious and have the time. Would be delicious as well. A very hearty meal full of rich flavours and textures, reminding me of a home away from home .... and family fibs.  I'll drink to that- Cheers!

Osso Buco-Style Chicken
from a Cooking Light recipe 2002

• 1 tablespoon olive oil, divided
• 6 chicken thighs (about 2 pounds), skinned  ( we used 4 very large chicken drumsticks)
• 3/4 teaspoon salt, divided
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper 
• 2 cups chopped onion ( I replaced onion with 2 leeks -love the leeks!)
• 3/4 cup cubed carrot 
• 3/4 cup coarsely chopped celery (you guessed it, we omitted the celery -  you know how we feel about the stuff.)
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 3/4 cup dry white wine (we used our favourite white, PInot Grigio of the Barefoot variety-and drank the rest ourselves while cooking the meal.)
• 5 cups chopped tomato (about 2 pounds)  (improvised here with what we had in the pantry: I used 2 cups chopped cherry tomatoes plus 1 can diced tomatoes, drained- think it worked out well!)
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
• Polenta:
• 2 cups 1% low-fat milk 
• 1 (14 1/2-ounce) can fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth 
• 1 cup uncooked instant polenta
• 3/4 cup (3 ounces) grated fresh Gruyère cheese 
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• Gremolata:
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
• 2 teaspoons grated lemon rind
• 1 garlic clove, minced

Preparation

1. To prepare chicken, heat 2 teaspoons oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle chicken with 1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper. Add chicken to pan; cook 4 minutes on each side or until browned. Remove chicken from pan.
2. Heat 1 teaspoon oil in pan over medium-high heat. Add onion, carrot, celery, and 2 garlic cloves. Cover and cook 5 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally. Stir in wine, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Stir in 1/2 teaspoon salt, tomato, basil, and rosemary; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and cook 15 minutes.
3. Return chicken to pan. Cover and simmer 35 minutes or until chicken is done. Uncover and cook 5 minutes or until tomato mixture thickens.
4. To prepare polenta, combine milk and broth in a medium saucepan; bring to a boil. Remove from heat; gradually add instant polenta, stirring constantly with a whisk. Cover and cook over medium-low heat 2 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in cheese and 1/4 teaspoon salt.
5. To prepare gremolata, combine parsley, rind, and 1 garlic clove. Serve chicken mixture over polenta; sprinkle with gremolata.

Note:

Chicken thighs stand in well for veal shanks in osso buco; their higher fat content, compared to other chicken parts, lets them hold up to long cooking or braising.