Red Blend Braised Chicken with Fre Alcohol-Removed Wine

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You should consult your physician before consuming Fre if you are pregnant or have any health concerns regarding alcohol.

Although I graduated from college eight years ago and I don’t have any children, I still feel the effects of back to school time. It’s like a three-month stint of senioritis, which doesn’t make any sense, but there you have it anyway.

Summer is a relaxing time where I’m a little less concerned with getting eight hours of sleep each night, work tends to be a little more lax, and there are more events happening around Tampa. There just tends to be more to do all around. SO! I’m out of the house often, and I tend to make dishes that take a little longer to cook, but can be left alone for an extended period of time. In the summer, it’s ideal to either make dishes that are quick and easy, or can be prepared and then left alone. Anything in between is preventing you from enjoying the sunshine and outdoors!

Enter: braised chicken! Oh lovely, lovely braised chicken…. it’ll provide you with three hours of cooking time so you can do what you want plus, a real benefit, your house will smell like wine and chicken and vegetables. It’ll smell like you spent all day long in the kitchen (you trickster, you).

For this braised chicken, I used Fre Alcohol-Removed Wine ^[4], the Red Blend. Because Red Blend wines are always amazing. But wait. Did I just say alcohol-removed wine, you ask? Turns out I did. Who would ever think that such a thing existed? Well, this is the first time I’ve ever heard of this kind of wine, but I love the concept a lot. For one, they taste just like a full-alcohol wine, which is perfect for people who don’t drink alcohol (mocktails, anyone?). Psst: I also brought the Fre Brut varietal which I’ll be using for a sorbet punch!

Through the de-alcoholization process of producing Fre, less than one half of one percent of alcohol remains in the wine.

To make Fre, the winemakers use the spinning cone column which removes alcohol while making sure those flavors and aromas make us feel all warm and fuzzy. The finished product is a beverage that totally passes as a full-bodied, full-alcohol wine, but with less than 0.5% alcohol and half the calories of traditional wine.

And deglazing the pot works just as well, a necessity for any braised dish.

Anyway, with braised chicken, I usually keep pretty simple on the vegetables, but this time? Well, I had just come back from the grocery store where I bought so so so many vegetables. One thing I hate is to have to throw away groceries because I’ve let them go bad. I am not trying to be wasteful around here, mmkay?

So in the pot went mushrooms, onions, carrots, celery, and tomatoes. And lots of love, of course.

I used chicken thighs because I feel that’s one of the most flavorful parts of the chicken, however any part of the chicken will do just fine. Use what you like most and get to cooking. You’ll be thrilled when you lift up the lid and get that delicious aroma as the steam escapes.

For more recipe inspiration and fun times, check out the Fre Wines Facebook page ^[5]!

I shared how I sip smarter. What would you pair with Fre wine ^[4]?

Print Recipe ^[6]

Red Blend Braised Chicken with Fre Alcohol-Removed Wine

Yield: 6

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 3 hours

Total Time: 3 hours, 30 minutes

A great family recipe that you can set and forget about...or at least until you're done with your summer activities and ready for a family meal everyone will love. Or also until you can't keep away from the amazing aroma that'll result.

Ingredients:

• 2 pounds chicken thighs, or any cut of chicken you prefer
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1/2 cup mushrooms, chopped
• 3/4 green pepper, chopped
• 1 large carrot, peeled and chopped
• 1 large celery, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 can petite diced tomatoes, drained
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 thyme sprig
• 2 cups Fre Red Blend
• 2 cups chicken stock

Directions:

1. Season all sides of the chicken with salt and pepper. Heat vegetable oil and butter in a heavy bottomed pot, like a Dutch oven. Brown both sides of the chicken, about 2 minutes on each side. Remove to a paper towel-lined plate to drain.
2. Add onion, mushrooms, green pepper, carrot, celery, and garlic. Add more oil if needed. Sauté vegetables until slightly translucent. Add diced tomatoes and tomato paste, along with bay leaves and the thyme sprig. Cook together for another 5 minutes, stirring frequently.
3. Add Fre Red Blend and scrape up the brown bits at the bottom of the pot. Cook for 5 minutes on high so some of the wine evaporates.
4. Add chicken and add chicken stock. Cook on high for another 5 minutes, then cover and reduce to low. Cook for 3 hours.