- 4
Ingredients
- For Chicken:
- 4 poussins, approximately 1 pound each
- 4 garlic cloves, crushed
- salt, to taste
- cayenne pepper, to taste
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- For Garlic Sauce:
- 1/2 cup chicken broth
- 4 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon paprika
- dash of cayenne
- 1 tablespoon chopped cilantro
- For Green Bean Borani:
- 1 pound green beans, trimmed
- 1 medium onion, minced
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- freshly ground black pepper
- 1 small garlic clove, coarsely chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup plain whole-milk yogurt
- 1/2 cup chopped mixed fresh herbs (basil, tarragon, cilantro,parsley,dill, summer savory)
Preparation
Step 1
For Chicken:
Rinse hens and pat dry. Place each hen breast-side up on a cutting board. With a sharp knife, slice down the middle of the breastbone to separate the rib cage. Be careful not to cut all the way through. Flatten hen gently with a meat pounder.
With a paring knife, make a small slit at the lower edge of each breast half. Push tips of the drumsticks down through slits, one on each side, so knobby ends of drumsticks protrude on hen's underside. Make similar slits on upper edge of each breast half. Push wingtips through to other side. Flatten hen once more. Repeat with remaining hens.
Rub hens with crushed garlic. Salt hens liberally and dust with cayenne.
Heat two 12-inch skillets, preferably cast iron. Add 2 tablespoons butter to each skillet. When butter melts, place 2 hens in each skillet, turning them to coat both sides with butter. Cook hens skin-side up over medium-high heat for 5 minutes, then turn skin-side down.
Place a plate or another, slightly smaller skillet over each pair of hens. Weight it down with a heavy can or a bowl filled with water. Cook hens over medium heat until skin is brown and slightly crusty, 18-20 minutes. Turn birds, replace the weight and cook 5 more minutes.
For Garlic Sauce:
While hens are cooking, make garlic sauce: Heat chicken broth in a small saucepan. With a mortar and pestle, mash garlic with salt into a creamy paste. Whisk garlic into chicken broth along with paprika and cayenne. Set aside. Just before serving, stir in cilantro.
For Green Bean Borani:
Parboil beans until crisp-tender, 4-5 minutes. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, sauté onion in 3 tablespoons butter until soft but not brown, 5-8 minutes. Drain beans and chop coarsely (each bean should be in 2 to 3 pieces). Add beans to onion, along with remaining butter. Stir in cinnamon and pepper. Cook, covered, until beans are soft, about 10 minutes. With a mortar and pestle, pound garlic with salt into a paste. Whip yogurt with ¼ cup ice water and add it to pounded garlic. Stir herbs into beans and cook 1 minute more.
To serve, turn green bean borani out onto a large platter. Pour yogurt over beans. Place hens on platter and drizzle lightly with garlic sauce. Pass remaining sauce in a pitcher.