What’s worse than the end of Jazz Fest? Missing the end of it!
That might not make much sense at first glance, but even the end of Jazz Fest is part of a much-loved tradition for me.
They say “all good things must come to an end,” but Jazz Fest is one of those times when you really don’t want it to end! You don’t want to go home. You don’t want to stop hanging out with your 400,000 new friends. You don’t want to stop dancing and grooving to the best music you’ll hear all year. And you don’t want to stop eating all the yummy NOLA food!
Here’s a little bit from Gumbo Love on mourning the last night of Jazz Fest and a recipe you may find comforting to mourn the end of something you don’t want to say goodbye to.
The last night we always order takeout from Tujague’s, and it’s always the chicken bonne femme. For me, it is almost a sad ritual, mourning the end of Jazz Fest, knowing it’s over, but also knowing it will be back the next year. There is hope!
Garlicky Good-Woman Chicken (Chicken Bonne Femme)
6 bacon slices, chopped into 1-inch squares
1 whole chicken, cut up
4 tablespoons sea salt
3 tablespoons freshly ground black pepper
4 cups all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 cup finely chopped tasso (can substitute chorizo or Canadian bacon)
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sliced green onions, green part only
1 cup chopped yellow onion
2 cups sliced mushrooms
1 cup dry white wine
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon hot sauce
About 2 cups vegetable oil for frying
1 pound russet potatoes, unpeeled, chopped into 1/2-inch cubes
1/2 cup unsalted butter
2 tablespoons finely chopped garlic
1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
2. In a large heavy skillet, fry the bacon until crisp. Remove it with a slotted spoon, place it on a plate covered with paper towels, and set aside. Leave the bacon fat in the skillet.
3. Season the chicken with 2 tablespoons of the salt and 1 tablespoon of the pepper. In a large bowl, combine the remaining 2 tablespoons salt and 2 tablespoons pepper with the flour and mix together.
4. Add the olive oil to the skillet with the bacon fat and heat over medium to medium-high heat. Lightly dust and pat the chicken with the flour mixture. In batches, place the chicken pieces in the skillet and cook until they’re browned on both sides (the chicken only needs to brown, not be cooked all the way through). After they’ve browned, place the chicken pieces in a baking dish large enough to hold them all and cover to keep warm.
5. once all the chicken is out of the skillet and in the baking dish, add the tasso, 1 cup of the green onion, and the yellow onion to the same skillet. Saute until the onion turns translucent. Add the mushrooms, wine, Worcestershire, and hot sauce. Bring to a boil, the reduce the heat to maintain a low simmer.
6. While the tasso mixture is simmering, in another large heavy skillet that’s at least 2 inches deep, heat 1 inch of frying oil over medium-high heat until it registers 375 degrees on a candy/deep-fry thermometer, or until a little flour flicked into the oil sizzles. Add the potatoes and fry until lightly browned. Drain them well, then add them to the skillet with the tasso and onions.
7. Simmer the tasso mixture until all the liquid has been absorbed. Lightly stir to distribute the ingredients, then remove the skillet from the heat.
8. In a small saucepan, melt the butter and heat until it starts bubbling. Reduce the heat, skim the foam off the top, and add the garlic. Cook the garlic in the hot butter for about 1 minute.
9. Coat each piece of chicken in the baking dish with the garlic butter. It may seem like a lot of garlic and butter, but don’t be shy—it comes together perfectly in the end.
10. Smother the chicken with the tasso mixture.
11. Bake for about 20 minutes, or until the thickest part of the thickest piece of chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees.
12. Garnish with the remaining 2 tablespoons green onion and serve.
Photo by Angie Mosier
