Chicken in Black Sauce

We weren't quite sure what to expect from this recipe. What is black sauce? Well, it's basically a chicken broth with some grated chocolate added. It's not really black and you can't even taste any chocolate flavor. I'd call it more of a lemon-chicken dish. It made a great dinner, though, and maybe someday we'll have it again.

This recipe called for grated chocolate, so I hand grated it. However, that was a bit tough on my fingers. Using a food processor, even for the tiny amount, might have been a smarter choice.

Pollo en Salsa Negra

• One fryer chicken, cut into 8 pieces
• Juice of one lemon (about 1/4 cup)
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1 tablespoon flour (Wondra preferred)
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 1 cup red wine (feel free to substitute grape juice or additional chicken broth)
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 teaspoons grated unsweetened chocolate

Combine the lemon juice, garlic powder, salt and pepper and brush over the chicken. Heat the oil in a large skillet and brown the chicken; set aside. In the same pan, cook the onions and garlic. When limp, stir in remaining ingredients except the chocolate. Return the chicken to the pan; cover and cook for 50 minutes. Remove chicken (not sure this step was necessary), stir in the chocolate until it melts, return the chicken to the pan and cook an additional 15 minutes. Serve with rice or new potatoes.

It turns out there was way more "sauce" than chicken. After having the breasts for one meal and the legs for another, I deboned the back and wings and we'll see how it works as an appetizer-sized bowl of soup.