Black History Month - Celebrating Maya Angelou

Maya Angelou was a brilliant writer, poet, teacher and performer. She was also known for being an amazing chef,  making everything from beef Wellington to bread pudding. Maya Angelou shared her recipes in her brilliant cookbook hallelujah! the welcome table. Each recipe is introduced with a beautifully written memory of Maya Angelou's past. hallelujah! is a cookbook I will treasure for both Maya Angelou's recipes and her poignant stories.

                                                              Decca's Chicken

                                                               Drunkard Style
                                                                 adapted from
                                                                  hallelujah!

                                                             the welcome table

                                                                 Maya Angelo

Ingredients
1 chicken (about 3 pounds), cut into
    pieces
1 stalk celery, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
1 carrots, peeled and chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup water
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 bottle Chardonnay
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

First: Drink ! glass of wine.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Wash chicken. Placed all ingredients into a large, heavy pot, and place in oven. Bake for 2 hours. Serve hot.

If you want thick gravy, remove chicken and vegetables from pot. Add 3 tablespoons cornstarch and 1/4 water to hot broth. Put back into oven until thickened to desired consistency.

Decca's Chicken Drunkard Style  is absolutely scrumptious! The chicken so tender it falls off the bone and the broth is intoxicating! I recommend serving this dish with a crisp baguette to soak up every last bit of the broth and a salad tossed with a french vinaigrette.

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