I decided to try this recipe myself in an attempt to duplicate Diane's lovely dinner.

1. Sauteed a thinly sliced onion in olive oil. Removed the onions to a bowl once sweet.
2. I started with three skinless half-breasts of chicken. To reduce cooking time, I cut the thick parts away from the thin parts, and then sliced the thick parts longwise in half. Then I browned them (not very brown) on both sides in the olive oil from the previous step. Removed the chicken from the pan.
3. Returned the onions to the oil. Poured a glass of red wine into the pan. Brought to a gentle boil. Added the chicken back to the pan. Poached about ten minutes on one side. Sprinkled lightly with table salt, black pepper and garlic powder.
4. Turned the chicken to the other side. Sprinkled lightly with table salt, black pepper and garlic powder. Added more wine as needed to continue poaching.
5. Removed the breasts after 10 minutes.
6. Served the chicken with onions and sauce over it.

It came out edible. This time the preparation was more interesting than the actual result. Thoughts for next time:

• For wine I used a Fetzer Merlot. My theory was that chicken has a gentle flavor, and I didn't want to overwhelm it with too spicy a red, whereas in fact generally I favor very peppery cabernets. Frankly, it was a bit dull. Next time I'll try the peppery cab.
• Next time I'll brown significantly longer, hoping for a bit more umami, carmelly meat taste, and I'll poach longer to soften the meat more, probably fifteen minutes per side.
• Next time I'll put more time into the sauce after the chicken has been removed, maybe adding some vinegar and lemon, perhaps guided by this recipe. Then perhaps I'll run it through the blender before serving.
• I like the idea of a bay leaf in the poaching sauce.

The other day a new acquaintance, Diane, prepared chicken poached in red wine for me and my friend Scot. It's a standard go-to dish in Spain where good, inexpensive red wine is commonly available. Here is what she did.

1. Sauteed a thinly sliced onion in olive oil. Removed the onions to a bowl once sweet.
2. Removed the tendons from three skinless half-breasts of chicken. Browned them (bare hint of brown) on both sides in the olive oil from the previous step. Removed the chicken from the pan.
3. Returned the onions to the oil. Poured a glass of red wine into the pan. Brought to a gentle boil. Added the chicken back to the pan. Poached about ten minutes on one side.
4. Turned the chicken to the other side. Sprinkled with lemon salt. Added more wine as needed to continue poaching.
5. Removed the breasts after 10 minutes

Comments:

• She removed the tendons because the tendons tend to shrink up and distort the shape of the chicken breast as they brown.
• When she browned the chicken, she didn't try to cook the breasts all the way through. They were just barely browned.
• She commented that the poaching took too long because the breasts were too thick. She said the should have pounded them first.

The dish makes an impression for several reasons. First off, the simplicity is striking. Secondly, the purple color of the final product. She served it with asparagus steamed plain on the side, which was a lovely contrast.

I've never done such a thing, so this recipe is high on my list of things to try.