This recipe is so simple I nearly passed it by. Bare in mind, I am no wizard in the kitchen. Ease of prep and cooking are essential for me (although lots of ingredients – which I don’t mind— can camouflage my lack of advanced culinary skill). But this recipe is so easy as to be an embarrassment. My only issue is the use of the word “biscuit” in the recipe title. Although I was very pleased with the end result, it strikes me that the biscuits were more like dumplings… but in biscuit shape? But what do I know? And besides I had already picked out a wine to open, and this recipe looked like a good fit. And it was.
I wanted to try a wine from Argentina made by Michel Rolland. I had just hosted a tasting given over to wines produced with his hand in Bordeaux (his home port), Bolgheri in Tuscany, Napa, Mendoza in Argentina and Rioja in Spain. As you can see, this fellah gets around. And as with others in the “globetrotting” wine consulting community (and within that community he is primus inter pares), he takes on assignments only when he is assured that the resident staff and ownership is committed to making the best possible wines.
I didn’t present the Yacochuya Torrontes at the tasting so this chicken dish seemed to be a splendid opportunity to give this tasty white a test drive.
{For my video take on the wine, put this in your browser: http://summerofjim.com/?p=110722}
San Pedro de Yacochuya Torrontes ’20 (Salta, Argentina)
At 6,676 feet above sea level, Salta is one of the highest viticultural regions in the world with vineyards running up to the Andean foothills. The origin of the vine is thought to be Spain. Torrontes is sometimes referred to as the “dry Muscat” because it shares the apricot & ripe peach scent with Muscat (Moscato). The 2020 is fresh, dry and richly flavored with fruit & floral aromas. Pale yellow color. The nose is fruity reminiscent of white peach and orange peel, and floral like jasmine and roses. On the palate it has a pleasant entry with flavors of peaches, apricot, chamomile and lime and the finish is dry.
SLOW COOKER CHICKEN & BISCUITS
Ingredients
6 ounces of Tanqueray Gin
½ ounce of Noilly Pratt Dry Vermouth
3 olives stuffed with blue cheese
3 chicken breasts, cut into 1” pieces
salt & pepper, to taste
2 cups baby carrots, cut in half
2 cups broccoli florets
21oz condensed cream of chicken soup
1 can refrigerated biscuit
Directions
1. Put gin and vermouth into a glass pitcher, fill with ice, stir vigorously while incanting, “You who know all, thank you for providing us juniper and all the other obscure ingredients responsible for creating this sacred liquid!” Strain into a pre-frozen Martini glass of admirable size. Skewer the olives on one of those tacky cocktail swords, place in glass. Immediately begin consuming. Now you can begin the food prep, and the cooking!
2. Place cut up chicken breast into slow cooker. Sprinkle with salt a pepper.
3. Add veggies and condensed soup, and mix thoroughly. Cook on high for 3 hours
4. Rip biscuit dough into small pieces, and drop evenly over the chicken. Cook for an additional hour.
5. Go on a treadmill. Walk at 3.5mph. Serve the chicken, garnish with parsley.
n.b. I didn’t rip the biscuit dough into pieces. Rather just placed the pre-divided slices on to the chicken.