Crème Fraiche Chicken with Citrus Salad

June 7, 2024

Sweep in Peace by Ilona Andrews is the second book in the Innkeeper Chronicles series. This urban fantasy/science fiction series follows Dina DeMille as she manages her magic inn—and an assortment of off-world guests—set in modern-day Texas.

Dina DeMille doesn’t run your typical Bed and Breakfast. Her inn defies laws of physics, her fluffy dog is secretly a monster, and the only paying guest is a former Galactic tyrant with a price on her head. But the inn needs guests to thrive, and guests have been scarce, so when an Arbitrator shows up at Dina's door and asks her to host a peace summit between three warring species, she jumps on the chance.

Unfortunately, for Dina, keeping the peace between Space Vampires, the Hope-Crushing Horde, and the devious Merchants of Baha-char is much easier said than done. On top of keeping her guests from murdering each other, she must find a chef, remodel the inn... and risk everything, even her life, to save the man she might fall in love with. But then it's all in the day's work for an Innkeeper…

As part of her preparations to host a peace summit, Dina hires Orro, a once highly regarded chef, who is a Quillonian (basically an oversized hedgehog) with a flair for dramatic monologues. One of the first meals Orro prepares for Dina and others is a simple roast chicken with salad for lunch.

Lunch was served at twelve and featured something called “simple crème fraiche chicken and vegetables,” which turned out to be roasted chicken with crispy skin and meat so tender it fell apart under the pressure of my fork, served with fresh spinach, citrus, almonds, and some sort of heavenly dressing. I couldn’t possibly keep Orro. He was sure to be too expensive but I’d be a fool not to enjoy it while it lasted.
-Chapter 4, Sweep in Peace by Ilona Andrews

As Orro explains later in the story, simple dishes allow the quality of the ingredients and the skills of the chef to truly shine. To create this simple roast chicken recipe, I adapted Samin Nosrat’s recipe for Buttermilk-Marinated Roast Chicken and Saveur Magazine’s recipe for Poppy Seed Dressing. Although I used oranges and cucumbers in this salad, I think other citrus fruits and vegetables would work in this salad, like grapefruit and jicama.

Crème Fraiche Chicken with Citrus Salad

SERVINGS: 4

INGREDIENTS

CRÈME FRAICHE CHICKEN

½ cup crème fraiche  (Note 1)
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons dried rosemary  (Note 2)
1 pound of chicken thighs, bone in and skin on

CITRUS SALAD

¼ cup + 2 tablespoons honey (or maple syrup)
¼ cup + 1-2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
2 teaspoons dry mustard
2 tablespoons olive oil
¼ cup canola oil (or other neutral-tasting oil)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 cups spinach or kale leaves, torn or chopped into bit-sized pieces
1 orange, peeled and sliced
½ cup cucumber, sliced
¼ cup sliced almonds

INSTRUCTIONS

CRÈME FRAICHE CHICKEN

1. Stir salt and dried rosemary (or herbs of your choice) into the crème fraiche.
2. Cover the chicken with the seasoned crème fraiche and let marinate in the refrigerator for at least 8 hours.
3. Preheat the oven to 350⁰F.
4. Remove the chicken from the refrigerator and scrape off the excess crème fraiche. Place in a shallow roasting pan.
5. Cook chicken in oven for about 50 minutes, basting with juices once or twice.
6. Once done, transfer the chicken to a plate and serve with the citrus salad.

CITRUS SALAD

1. Make the salad dressing: Whisk together the honey, white wine vinegar, and dry mustard. Then drizzle in olive oil and canola oil, whisking the whole time. Season dressing with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Taste and adjust with more vinegar, salt, and pepper as needed.
2. Assemble the salad: In a large wide bowl or salad plate, toss greens with half the dressing. Arrange orange and cucumber slices over the greens, fanning out slices if you wish. Sprinkle salad with sliced almonds and drizzle some of the remaining dressing over, to taste. Serve right away, with extra dressing on the side.

RECIPE NOTES

1. Full-fat Greek yogurt can be substituted for the crème fraiche. I made the crème fraiche using this recipe by The Copper Table. Stir ½ - 1 tablespoon plain yogurt into ½ cup heavy whipping cream in a jar with a tight-fitting lid. Leave out at room temperature for 8-12 hours until it is thick and creamy when stirred with a spoon (similar to sour cream), and then refrigerate.
   
2. I used dried rosemary, but you could use any of your favorite dried herbs to flavor the chicken.