A standard braised chicken, with a not-so-standard tart fruit sauce whose acidity cuts through the richness of the meat to make a dish that is always a surprising hit. The sauce can also be used with roast chicken or, for that matter, pork or turkey. Any of these can be served with Kasha (page 528) or any other simple grain dish, and a salad or vegetable.

　　

Ingredients

makes 4 servings

　　1 1/2 cups fresh cranberries, rinsed and picked over

　　1/3 cup sugar

　　2 tablespoons corn, grapeseed, or other neutral oil

　　1 chicken, 3 to 4 pounds, cut into serving pieces, or 2 1/2 to 3 pounds chicken parts, trimmed of excess fat

　　Salt and black pepper to taste

　　3 garlic cloves, chopped

　　1 medium onion, chopped

　　1/2 pound button, cremini, or shiitake mushrooms, trimmed and sliced, shiitake stems discarded (or saved for stock)

　　1 fresh rosemary sprig, chopped, or 1 teaspoon dried

　　1/2 cup dry white wine

　　

Step 1

Combine the cranberries, sugar, and 3/4 cup water in a small saucepan and turn the heat to medium-low. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until the berries are broken and the mixture is saucy, 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside.

　　

Step 2

Meanwhile, put the oil in a deep skillet or flameproof casserole, preferably nonstick, with a lid. Turn the heat to medium-high and wait a minute or so, until the oil is hot. Add the chicken, skin side down, and brown it well, rotating and turning the pieces as necessary, and sprinkling with salt and pepper as it cooks, 10 to 15 minutes. Finish the browning with the skin side up.

　　

Step 3

Stir in the garlic, onion, mushrooms, rosemary, and wine. Turn the heat to low, cover, and simmer until the chicken is tender, 20 to 30 minutes. Serve the chicken with the mushrooms and pan juices and top with the cranberry sauce.

　　The Best Recipes in the World by Mark Bittman. © 2005 by Mark Bittman. Published by Broadway Books. All Rights Reserved.MARK BITTMAN is the author of the blockbuster The Best Recipes in the World (Broadway, 2005) and the classic bestseller How to Cook Everything, which has sold more than one million copies. He is also the coauthor, with Jean-Georges Vongerichten, of Simple to Spectacular and Jean-Georges: Cooking at Home with a Four-Star Chef. Mr. Bittman is a prolific writer, makes frequent appearances on radio and television, and is the host of The Best Recipes in the World, a 13-part series on public television. He lives in New York and Connecticut.