Braised Chicken

Fettuccine with Pumpkin and Butternut Squash Sauce

Ingredients-

1 whole fryer chicken

Salt and White Pepper

2 TBS Olive Oil

2 ribs celery, diced

1 medium white onion, diced

2 carrots, peeled and diced

2 small bulb fennel (about 1 cup) , diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 medium butternut squash, peeled, seeded and diced

1 small sugar pumpkin, peeled, seeded and diced

At least 3 cups white wine

6 leaves fresh sage

1 bay leaf

2 sprigs thyme

1 pound fettuccine dry or 48 ounces fresh

Pecorino Romano Cheese

Directions:

1- Rinse and cut up chicken, season heavily with salt.

2-Heat oil in skillet to just smoking.  Sear chicken in the skillet until it is very brown on all sides.  Remove chicken and place on plate-Set aside.

3-Keeping the high heat on the skillet, add celery, carrot, onion and fennel, cook until caramelized, add the garlic and cook a little more.  Add the white wine and reduce.  Add the cleaned and diced pumpkin and butternut squash.  Cook util the squash starts to brown.

4-Place the chicken in an oven safe pan and cover with the vegetables and wine.  Add more wine if needed to come half way up the chicken.  Add a few sage leaves, one bay leaf and 2 sprigs of thyme.  Season with white pepper and cover tightly with lid or foil.

Bake in 325 oven for at least 2 hours, up to 4 is good.

5-Carefully remove the chicken, making sure to be gentle and getting all of the bones out of the pan.  Bone all of the chicken, removing any cartildge or gristle, set aside covered. 6-Remove the bay leaf and the thyme sprig from the pan.  Skim any excess fat.  

7-Puree the mixture with a stick blender.  Set aside.

8-Bring water to a boil to cook the pasta.

9-Cook pasta to directions, meanwhile-

10-Heat 1 tablespoon butter in a large frying pan, add 2 sage leaves and fry slightly.  Add the sauce you made in step 7.  Adjust seasonings if needed.

Once sauce is heated again, add the chicken and toss well.  Add the cooked pasta and toss well.  Garnish with a big sheepy Pecorino Romano. Serve with the wine used to braise and enjoy.