Chicken with Yams, Fennel, and Ginger

from D'Artagnan's Glorious Game Cookbook
by Ariane Daguin, George Faison, and Joanna Pruess

A chicken casserole probably unlike any you've tasted before. The ethereal blend of flavors, combined with chicken so tender it falls from the bones, is the perfect Sunday night supper or ready-when-you-are one-dish meal. Drink a chilly California Chardonnay.

2 tablespoons clarified butter
1 tablespoon fruity olive oil
4 to 6 pieces of chicken, white or dark meat, skinned and patted dry
1/2 cup good Armagnac or Cognac
1 cup chicken stock
1/2 cup dry white wine
2 cups very thinly sliced fennel
3 tablespoons sliced shallots
2 tablespoons sliced garlic
3 cups peeled yams, cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices (about 1 1/4 pounds)
1 cup loosely packed dried apricots, cut into 1/4-inch dice (whole pitted rather than halves, if possible)
1 tablespoon finely julienned fresh gingerroot
5 (4-inch) sprigs rosemary; do not use loose leaves
2 (4-inch) sprigs thyme
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1/3 cup toasted sunflower seeds, to garnish (optional)

2. Heat clarified butter and oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until hot but not smoking. Add chicken pieces and brown on both sides, 5 to 7 minutes on each side. Transfer to a deep enamel or cast iron casserole with a tight-fitting lid.

3. Pour off butter-oil mixture and set aside. Deglaze pan with Armagnac, stirring up any browned cooking bits. Add stock and wine, turn heat up to high, and boil until liquid is reduced by one-quarter. Pour liquid over the chicken in casserole.

4. Wipe out skillet. Heat 2 tablespoons of the reserved butter-oil mixture until hot. Add fennel, shallots, and garlic, cover, and sweat over medium heat until softened, 5 to 6 minutes, then scrape into the casserole.

5. Add yams, apricots, ginger, herbs, salt, and pepper to chicken, and mix to distribute the flavors. Cover tightly and bake for 1 3/4 to 2 hours, or until the meat falls off the bones. Sprinkle with toasted sunflower seeds and serve.

© 1999 by Ariane Daguin, George Faison, and Joanna Pruess, adapted from Len Allison and the late Karen Hubert Allison, Hawaii