Requesting suggestions re: two dishes (cacciatore; pheasants/duck)

[Chik]

Just going back a step, when I make chicken cacciatore, I dip the chicken in flour and pan-fry it until it's golden. I then take the chicken out, deal with the veggies, and then put everything together. When it's all said and done, the flour from the chicken does the job in thickening the liquid so there's no need to add roux or make another intervention.

[echappist]

Thanks for the suggestion, but i do that step already. Prepare flour seasoned with salt and pepper, cover chicken in seasoned flour, and fry 4-5 minutes each side.

But the liquid still needed reducing. I’m sure trying to stuff a lot of veggies in don’t help, so perhaps halving the veggies should do the trick.

I guess the other option is to finish everything in the oven, but i’m trying to avoid it in the summer months and do that in cooler months only.

[thollandpe]

Julia Child was a genius. And thankfully she didn’t just show us what she did, she taught us how to do it. Exactly how to do it*.

Brown roux: clarified butter or peanut oil. You can quadruple the proportions and keep in a jar in the fridge, it lasts almost indefinitely.

Veloute soup base (pg. 9 in The Way To Cook) a roux with onions or leeks, she shows you how to add the liquid to the roux, whisking and simmering (don’t let the sauce stick) until it’s thick enough to coat a wooden spoon.

* Like a bike frame, it ain’t just the ingredients. It’s how you put them together.

[echappist]

I halved the mushrooms and used 2/3 of the bell peppers. It came out a lot better this time. I was afraid that something was seriously wrong as both previous attempts were soupy affairs.

I don’t think i used that much more flour, but i did stir in some. It’s more sauce-like consistency than it is soup consistency.

The thighs are now chilling in the fridge before i reheat it tonight.

Thanks again for the suggestions.