Mosca's Chicken a la Grande
 

Anyone brave enough to make the trip out of New Orleans to Avondale for a visit to Mosca's can tell you
that this is one of the most delicious dishes you can find in the world. A classic Italian flavor without
being an Italian Classic. If you do this right, you will want to add it to your bachelor list of dishes you can
whip up at any time without looking at a reference. It's that easy. Or is it??

First thing that separates the cigar smokers who like to dabble in recipes from the chefs who can do
it all is the skillet. Do you have a LARGE cast aluminum or cast iron skillet OVER 12 inches across. 18? 15?
Do you have a range that can BLAST that thing into the stratosphere? It's all about size and heat with this dish.

OK, take a chicken and cut it up into about 10-15 pieces. The real recipe calls for 3 lbs of chicken, but we
are gonna cut it down a bit to fit and to make it manageable.

a chicken
1/2 cup of olive oil
3/4 cup of dry white wine
10 garlic cloves mashed
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon rosemary
half teaspoon kosher salt
half teaspoon fresh black pepper

Heat your olive oil good and hot. Olive oil is not as durable as peanut oil, but you want to get it hot first. Take your chicken and brown it thoroughly in the pan. When it is completely browned, sprinkle with salt and pepper. Sprinkle salt and pepper on chicken. Add mashed garlic, oregano, rosemary, and stir well, so that all seasonings are evenly evenly. Pour in the wine, simmer until wine reduced by 2/3 . Serve hot with plenty of pan juices. I like to also make up some Spaghetti Bordellaise to pour this all over. Just take some Spaghettini, the thin spaghetti, and cook it up right. Add butter, garlic and olive oil according to whatever recipe you find or prefer. Also works extremely well with bird nest pasta.

If you make this and even get it halfway right, you will love it. I like to finish this in the oven under the broiler, or ever do it all in the broiler, stirring about every ten minutes for 45 minutes total cook time. But that takes the right pan, I guess. The most important thing about the dish is getting the heat right and not crowding the chicken. Olive oil may have a low smoke point, but this one really challenges that notion to some extent. GET IT HOT.

Re: Mosca's Chicken a la Grande
 

DAMMIT!!! Forgot the Photo. The JUICE that this dish creates is heavenly. Can you imagine the rendered stock, wine,
garlic, rosemary and olive oil all simmering together for almost an hour? It might sound fattening, and it's certainly not
DIET food, but it is not actually that heavy. DO NOT fear the juice. Embrace the juice...SOP the juice, BE the juice.

Re: Mosca's Chicken a la Grande
 

This sounds delicious. Thank you for posting it. I love the "BE the juice" comment. LOL!

Re: Mosca's Chicken a la Grande
 

Well, came home and made this tonight. KILLED IT. Although i do not particularly care for the pasta
I cooked up to pair with it, the little round tubes, the meat itself was just PERFECT! The photo I led
off with was the actual restaurant dish as shot in the place itself, I think. This photo is 'live', and
still cooling on the counter.

I browned the chicken in a pot, then scraped down the 'gratin' in the oil to free it from the pan, mixed
in the dry spices, mixed thoroughly in the pot, added the wine, brought it to a rippling boil, then poured
it out over the chicken I had sitting in a large pyrex baking dish. I put it in the oven on the lowest rack
under the broiler and about every 10 minutes, spooned the juice over the pieces of chicken. It really
stayed hot, cooked the chicken fork tender, and gave me the perfect crusty brown color. I could have
let it get browner for more flavor, but I was HUNGRY. Also, it should be noted I took a short cut
since I had little cash with me on the way home from work. I had money for wine or fresh garlic, and
I had garlic powder at home. So I made the tough call and went with powder. It affects the look
a lot, the flavor some, and ME none at all. MAKE THIS DISH!

Re: Mosca's Chicken a la Grande
 

Damn that looks good! Sometime in the next few weeks that's gotta get made.

I'm always looking for new chicken recipes without vegetables :D

Re: Mosca's Chicken a la Grande
 

Hmm.. This looks very yummy. Will have to try it for myself. Thanks for sharing!

Re: Mosca's Chicken a la Grande
 

I always get the pan hot first, than add any oil. In general, hot pan + cold oil = meat won't stick. But because you stress very high heat, I was wondering do you bring the oil to high temp with the pan or add the oil after pan is hot?

Re: Mosca's Chicken a la Grande
 

Well I said sometime in the next few weeks I'd attempt to make this, but I'm impatient. I made this today, now I'll admit I'm not Brad by any means :r But he was 100% correct I'd say I came 75-85% close to getting it and it was indeed very good :banger

I'll be talking to you tomorrow and see if I cannot work out a few problems and get this 100% :tu

Thanks again for the recipe, this will probably get made at least once a month.

No pictures this time but next time, for sure I will. We were all a bit too hungry and mauled the hell out of all 3 pounds of chicken. I'd say dinner lasted about 3-5 minutes tops. :r

The juice is definitely the key though, and I got that QUICKLY. I believe I was one with the juice, shame the chicken wasn't entirely browned properly though, next time....next time.

Re: Mosca's Chicken a la Grande
 

Sorry I was so late in getting back to this thread....Hot oil, I brought it up slowly while I was chopping something,
lessee, it wasn't onions....maybe I was cutting the chicken. Anyway I got it hot enough on low to do some damage
right off the bat, then turned it up as I had the mass of the chicken in the pan. That was the FIRST browning.

Now to Bill on the REAL deal with the meal. I did brown my chicken well for the second time, in the oven on the lower
rack and using the broil element to keep the heat at max and also throw that radiant heat on the meat to brown it for
visual effect. BUT, while my dish looked almost perfect, in reality I over-cooked it. My white meat was dry and my
dark was acceptable. If I had to do it again, I would settle for less browning on the meat and perfect cooking level.
But IT IS GOOD, ain't it Bill ?!?

Re: Mosca's Chicken a la Grande
 

Brad, did you change the proprtions on the other ingredents when you went from 3lbs of chicken to a whole chicken? At least out here, a whole chicken weighs out at about 4.5lbs coming from the butcher, although that includes some parts (maybe a 1/2lb) that probably wouldn't make it into the dish, like the back and neck, etc...

I'm just looking to get an idea so I can scale it down a bit.

Re: Mosca's Chicken a la Grande
 

I have to admit, I just fiddled with the supposed recipe from Mosca's web page. It is somewhat
vague to begin with. Try to ignore my poundage I guess. I use a whole chicken cut down about
twice the normal 2-2-2-2 stage. (2 of everything) I end up with about15-16 pieces.
Ironically the chicken proportions could maybe affect the rest of the recipe if you were scaling way
up or way down, but in general, I think the juice ingredients are about the same for 1/2 a chicken up
to two chickens. It's really just more or less juice to use with your pasta and bread. So you can really
experiment in my experience. But yeah, a whole chicken. And here...you can fiddle with this, too.....'

http://moscasrestaurant.com/recipes-fresh-seafood.html

Re: Mosca's Chicken a la Grande
 

But down in LA, Adam, and in particular with this dish, I think the back and neck are important to the sauce,
even if they are removed before serving. Lotsa good stuff in nem bones. A good chicken gumbo demands it.

Re: Mosca's Chicken a la Grande
 

Damn good !

I'm making some double breaded deep fried chicken today but this weekend I'll have a third go around at it. This time maybe I'll do it in the oven solely.

Yeah it seems it's not particularly easy to brown it good and not dry it out. I settled for less browned chicken the second time. It was very good...I'm getting there. Third times a charm, eh? Well I hope so :D

Re: Mosca's Chicken a la Grande
 

Thanks Brad.

And I don't disagree about the flavor of the sauce when parts like the neck and back are included, when I looked at the photos, I didn't seem to notice them being in there, so I thought they might not be included.

Re: Mosca's Chicken a la Grande
 

Tried this last night with a smaller quantity of chicken, it was quite good. Thanks for the recipe Brad.

Re: Mosca's Chicken a la Grande
 

Made this for about 10 people the other day, went great! I might try and add a little lemon next time. Maybe not.

Thanks so much!

Re: Mosca's Chicken a la Grande
 

I think I left mine in just for the sweet meat, but I live alone. If I was serving it for others I think
they would tend to like it better if they did not see it or need to pick at it. I am glad so many people are
putting this one to use. I LOVE the way it tastes, smells and it fun to cook, and EASY to memorize.
Once you get the sauce down, try to use a little more flair on the pasta. Has anyone used the thin spaghetti
with the olive oil and butter and herbs?? Hell, now I have to make it this weekend, lol. I am using shell pasta.

Re: Mosca's Chicken a la Grande
 

Made a big batch of this last night for the freezer, I was just in a cookin mood, so I walked to the store,
got a whole chicken and 4 thighs and got started. I have too much cooked food in the fridge, but I was cool
with letting it sit drenched in juice for a few hours then freezing it. I have come up with the best plan on this.

I like to cut up the breast into nuggets, brown it, and then put it aside. Then I make the recipe as normal,
in a pyrex rectangular baking dish, bottom of the oven cranked up to BROIL. I baste it about four times in
45 minutes then take all the meat out and render the sauce down in the pan by itself for another 15 mins,
(toss in the browned but not cooked breast chunks in also, to finish them off. Then remove the baking dish
to cool.

The breast meat gets way too dry the way I used to do it, cut up into chunks, anyway. This way the dark
meat gets cooked, the sauce is properly reduced and the breast meat is juicy and perfectly cooked.

Re: Mosca's Chicken a la Grande
 

Made this again tonight. Third times a charm I'd say for sure :banger

This time I am roughly 90% on getting this perfect.

Chicken could have been a bit more brown, but it wasn't dry at all. Probably could have made it with a bit more "juice" but overall I think I did pretty damn good.

To me this is a dish you need to make 3-5 times to get it just right. But once you do :dr :dr

Re: Mosca's Chicken a la Grande
 

haha, that's how I basically started the thread, every man needs a few dishes he can make with no reference material
whatsoever, to invite someone over that you want to put your lovin into, to share some wine while you talk and cook,
the seduction of the kitchen. Or you can just learn it for fun and survival, lol.

Re: Mosca's Chicken a la Grande
 

:lr

I agree completely. This is one that soon enough I'll be able to make without even thinking about.

It always seems after you get the oil nice and hot you really need to crank that stove as high as possible if you want proper browning and non-dry chicken.

Each time I move it up a bit more I get a better result, Next time it goes up all the way and it should be perfect.

I really haven't played around with broiling it, maybe I should but I'm getting pretty good results with a large flat bottomed pan and the stove top.

I also like that each time it gets made I can do it a hell of a lot quicker. Soon this could be a regular thing.


I'm always looking for more good chicken recipes :dr

Re: Mosca's Chicken a la Grande
 

I use the oven because that's the best pans I have for the size requirements, namely a large glass pyrex dish.
But the stovetop is MUCH easier to monitor and manipulate and control.

Re: Mosca's Chicken a la Grande
 

Had this again today, I've got it down for sure. I was pretty hungry so I didn't take the time to brown it too much. But in a quick pinch I've got a nice pound and a half of chicken breast in a bowl with TONS of juice. It's almost like a soup, delicious. :dr

Just took all of the ingredients, wing it and damn it's good. I'd call it a 10-12 minute meal.

Re: Mosca's Chicken a la Grande
 

I'll try this one OLS.

Re: Mosca's Chicken a la Grande
 

I am thawing out a container of this tonight. I know what lunch holds for Thursday and Friday. :)

Re: Mosca's Chicken a la Grande
 

I made it this evening... Really did come out great... I did chicken 2 ways for comparison and this blew the standard fried chicken out of the water... Good call OLS

Re: Mosca's Chicken a la Grande
 

I be eatin up on some for lunch today....this is one of those 'the longer it sits" dishes like gumbo and red beans.
It is really fantastic. Just marinatin' away in the lil tub. Glad to hear you made it Jerms, I sure didn't invent it,
but I had it for the first time in the spring in New Orleans and I thought, oh man, this is gonna be my new thing.
And it is, lol.

Re: Mosca's Chicken a la Grande
 

As an aside, from replies previously given, I really have found that I get the best results from creating the dish as
laid out, but then pulling the breast meat halfway through, only returning the meat to the dish in the last few
minutes. If you do the dish right, you can easily end up with dry breast meat. If you pull it out for half of the
cooking, you end up with something not unlike heaven in the end.

Of course, you can do it like Bill, ONLY use breast meat, and therefore only cook it for 1/3 the time.

Re: Mosca's Chicken a la Grande
 

I do take out the breast meat though for reducing the wine. I'll take it out reduce it a good bit then toss it back in. It really helps not drying out the chicken.

Really the only way you can screw this up is drying out the chicken. Besides that it's really just different degrees of greatness.

I bought like 4 pounds of chicken breast, going to probably cook it all at once and freeze it.

Re: Mosca's Chicken a la Grande
 

They made basically the same thing on America's Test Kitchen this past weekend. I have some chicken thigh/leg quarters in the freezer. Might be time to break them out.

Re: Mosca's Chicken a la Grande
 

Tonight's action...walked 3.8 miles to the store for the excercise part of the new paradigm,
got about 6 lbs of chicken, froze half of it, then whipped up a serious batch, the best browning
I have ever gotten. I will need more wine after one more batch. I have been buying these
"one-glass bottles" that come in a 4 pack....cheap and good for the cookin. SHAZAAMM!!
Those roasted garlic pods MELTED in my mouth.

Re: Mosca's Chicken a la Grande
 

I don't know what it is about this dish, I lust after the cooking experience every Friday night.
This Friday night, I had no chicken thawed, so it was a Saturday Morning kind of deal. Not
a bad batch, I made extra juice for the pasta. I never seem to have the right mixture for
maximum effect. All wings and a few thighs.....

Re: Mosca's Chicken a la Grande
 

:r this was Breakfast today for me :D

Re: Mosca's Chicken a la Grande
 

Did you stay over Brad's last night? :r

I made a similar version of this earlier in the week. Turned out awesome. Since I only made two leg/thigh quarters, I just roasted the pieces still in the fry pan. After they were done, I removed the chicken from the pan, put back on a med-high flame and reduced the liquid some, then added a chunk of butter off heat and let it melt into the sauce. Mmm, mmm good.

Re: Mosca's Chicken a la Grande
 

Nope, great minds think alike :tu

Sounds tasty Bob :tu

Re: Mosca's Chicken a la Grande
 

I probably should have reduced my juice some, with the chicken out of the pan. It's not bad at all, but it looks a little
juicy now that I look back at it. And considering half of that is olive oil, well I don't have to say much more
about that. Damn good batch, though. I am gonna stop here in a bit so I don't burn out on it. It's just so much
fun to make.

Re: Mosca's Chicken a la Grande
 

I pulled out a package of 4 leg/thigh quarters to make this tomorrow. Gotta use up that white wine.

Re: Mosca's Chicken a la Grande
 

Took a extra day to make, but another batch is in the oven right now. House is smelling so good. Added a can of artichoke hearts too cuz that's how I roll.

Re: Mosca's Chicken a la Grande
 

I will have to try this...it sounds :dr:dr

Re: Mosca's Chicken a la Grande
 

Yes, those pics look great, I will give it a go too. But my wife and I love our veggies and pasta so I will probably add a bunch of fresh spinach, mushrooms and zuchini to the end results. :)

Re: Mosca's Chicken a la Grande
 

Here's my twist on Brads recipe. I start by browning the chicken in the skillet. When I flip to brown the other side, I add the whole garlic cloves, artichokes and the dried herbs, plus a bit of red pepper flakes. When the other side is browned, add the wine and then put into a 375F oven for 35-40 mins or until chicken is cooked through. Remove from oven and remove chicken/artichoke from the pan. Transfer the garlic and sauce to a blender and give it a whir. Pour back into the pan and reduce as needed over med high heat. When sauce is at consistency desired, cut the heat and add a tablespoon or two of butter. Swirl the pan until its melted. Pour over chicken. Enjoy!

Re: Mosca's Chicken a la Grande
 

Artichokes are really a perfect match for the way this dish tastes....find a way to work in a few italian breadcrumbs
and you got a deal!

Re: Mosca's Chicken a la Grande
 

Capers and a bit of lemon are good too.

Re: Mosca's Chicken a la Grande
 

Well I made it for the first time tonight. I didn't have much time as my 3 year old girl is sick and it was a challenge preparing a new meal. I stuck with the recipe for the most part, just added the artichoke hearts. I browned the chicken with the goods, then moved to an oven dish and baked the rest of the time. We needed to use up a bag of potatoes so we stuck with those and green beans. I'm very happy with my first attempt but next time I will make more time to add more garlic as my wife and I are garlic lovers.

http://i193.photobucket.com/albums/z...e/P1000604.jpg


http://i193.photobucket.com/albums/z...e/P1000605.jpg

Re: Mosca's Chicken a la Grande
 

Not sure about the additions and the changes, to my personal taste, anyway, but I continue to believe
artichokes can definitely add positive things in the long run. I will never find OUT, but I am not against it, haha.

Re: Mosca's Chicken a la Grande
 

A couple nights later, we mixed the leftovers with a Costco pack of fresh butternut squash ravioli... was gooda!

Re: Mosca's Chicken a la Grande
 

Once more time.....had this on vacation, we were in the store wondering what to buy with our corn on the bob and beer.
I know my sister ALWAYS has an open bottle of white wine in the fridge, so this was an easy call. All thighs on this trip.

http://i1294.photobucket.com/albums/...ps9050e5c2.jpg

Re: Mosca's Chicken a la Grande
 

I bet you sopped up those pan drippings with some nice crusty bread. Mmm...

Re: Mosca's Chicken a la Grande
 

Sadly Bobby-baby, I DID NOT. We planned for the dish, but not the meal. There might have been bread in the house
but we did not use it. However she did make an extremely large pot of pasta, way more than we needed, and when the
meal was over, all the juice got dumped on all the spare pasta, and THE NEXT DAY, that pasta had soaked up so much
garlic and olive oil that it was just unbelievably good after 20 secs in the microwave. I find that I prefer to use twice
the olive oil in this one, and twice the wine, and twice everything, because the sauce is far too useful to have around.
Too much trouble to make it later, best to make way more than you need and then save the ample leftovers for
seasoning spaghetti. But the burps? Nigga please, go sit outside. :)