Poulet saute madame renoir

Poulet Sauté Madame Renoir (Mrs Renoir's chicken)

It was one of those TV chefs which first brought this dish to our attention, but it wasn't until our second trip to Champagne that we finally decided to give it a try.

While Renoir may have been a great painter, it was his wife, Aline, who was a renowned cook. And this is her signature dish. It seemed fitting to make this dish in the Champagne region as the couple resided in the small Champenoise village of Essoye. Unfortunately, Champagne is a pretty large place and it turns out Essoye isn't around the corner being over 100km south of Epernay.

serves 6

6 chicken thighs
Olive oil
Butter
2 medium-sized tomatoes, chopped
2 medium onions, diced
Bouquet garni - Thyme, a bay leaf & parsley
2 cloves of garlic, finely diced
150g mushrooms, sliced
1 handful black olives
2tbl of cognac (or brandy or whiskey or even marc de champagne)
Persillade (chopped parsley and garlic)
Salt & pepper

Brown the chicken in the olive oil.

Once browned, remove the chicken and strain off the oil, then add the butter and onion and fry until translucent. Add the garlic and fry until fragrant then add the chopped tomatoes.

Add the bouquet garni and return the chicken to the pan along with 2tbl of water.

Simmer for 30 minutes or until chicken is cooked.

Add the mushrooms, olives and cognac.

Cook until mushrooms are just cooked.

Top with the persillade and serve.