A Quick Fix Chicken In Onion-Pepper Sauce

A couple weeks ago, I received a container which had some liquidy substance in it. As I was trying to figure out that what is it and who has sent it, my phone rang and it was my friend Chef Sanjay Pawar. “This is French Demi-Glace Sauce which I have prepared it for you. Refrigerate it, since Sunday is two days away. Call me on Saturday and we shall discuss how to make French Onion Pepper Chicken and use this sauce in it”. And he hung up before warning me again not to forget to refrigerate it, better to freeze.

I had to check it out before consigning it to the fridge. Inside the container was a semi-thick brown sauce. A quick sampling said it had a sweet tangy taste with a hint of meatiness. It reminded me of the French Onion Soup in a Bread Bowl, I had last year at Paul’s. I had liked it and this sauce took me there, almost. See my Facebook post here.

Demi-Glace Sauce is an ingredient mostly used in French Cuisine. It has a base of Meat / Chicken Stock and gives a glaze to the dish besides giving a meaty flavour. It can be made and then frozen for using it over many times over a prolonged period.

So, as guided, mine went into the freezer to come out two days later for a quick, easy and tasty Chicken dish. We liked it so much that after the first attempt, I made it yet once more. I am sharing here the recipe guided by Chef Sanjay Pawar. While sharing the recipe he insisted that I must click a picture at each stage and share it with my readers in a blogpost. So here it is, for you.

Chicken In Onion-Pepper Sauce

Ingredients:

Chicken (around 900 gms) washed and pat dried

3 Medium Sized Onions, thinly sliced

3-4 Pods of Garlic, finely chopped

2 Green Chilies Slit

Salt to taste

2-3 tsp Black Pepper Powder

2 Tbsp Olive Oil or Butter

8-10 Tbsp of Demi-Glace Sauce (don’t have it. No worries. Options are available online. Order it or make it with the recipes available online)

30 ml of Orange Juice (fresh or packaged); and

2-3 Tbsp water

Cooking:

In a pan heat some Olive Oil or Butter (if using Butter, ensure that you heat it on a low flame so that it does not turn brown). Add sliced Onions and 2 Tbsp of Water. Stir and close it with a lid and let it simmer on a low flame till the Onions turn translucent.

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Now add Chicken, chopped Garlic, Slit Green Chilies, mix and close the lid again. Let it simmer on a slow flame. Keep an eye on it and stir occasionally so that it does not stick to the bottom.

Keep it on simmer till all the water from the Chicken is released in the pan.

Once the water is released, bring the flame to high and start adding Demi-Glace Sauce and keep mixing. Keep on tasting the sauce in between and stop when you feel that it is up to your taste. Besides the taste, the Sauce will bring color to the dish.

Now this is a bit of a hack here. Add some amount of Orange Juice here. Adjust it according to your taste.

Once done, check for Salt. If you would have added Butter in the beginning, perhaps you might not need Salt. However, check and if needed, add the Salt now, as per your taste.

Now add, lots of, yes literally lots of Black Pepper Powder.

Mix it and your Chicken Onion and Pepper is ready to be served.

This is such an easy and quick-fix recipe that you would love cooking it and would enjoy the looks and the taste of the dish. I have got my one more recipe of Irish Chicken Stew using this remaining Demi-Glace Sause which I shall try soon and share with you.

In the meanwhile, if you have such quick-fix recipes, do share with me. I would love to try, write about it, with due credits. Till then….

Bon Appetite !!

Rajesh Tara

MagicOfFlavours