Chicken thighs and drumsticks are browned and then braised in Brown Mustard Veal Demi Glace Sauce. The collagen in the veal demi glace coats the chicken with such a thick sticky glaze, hence the title, Sticky Lips Chicken.
I’ve been hearing a lot about Marczyk Fine Foods lately, so talked the hubby into leaving our suburban bubble for a Saturday morning field trip into the city for a visit. The mission?… to make their Sticky Lips Chicken recipe.
Marczyk Fine Foods is at Clarkson and 17th just east of Downtown Denver. With easy parking, a fine wine department and the smells of exotic spices and simmering foods wafting as we went in the front door, I knew I was going to love this place.
A stack of beautiful corn tortillas made just for the store stacked in front of the meat counter. The label indicates these were not made by gringos. I bought some.
We found this small neighborhood market filled with specialty gourmet food items, fresh seafood, organic produce, gourmet cheeses, exotic stuffed olives, an impressive meat counter that includes Niman Ranch products and a deli area offering house made sandwiches and prepared food items.
Every item in the store is obviously chosen for quality. If I hadn’t already been on a Sticky Lips Chicken mission, I would have purchased some delicious looking crab stuffed sole that I watched one of the chefs sprinkling with vibrant red smoked paprika.
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I had seen this recipe for Sticky Lips Chicken in my new Colorado Classique Cookbook. The recipe called for a slice of frozen veal demi glace which I had never seen anywhere and was available at their market. With my sack filled with items I have never seen, such as wild boar sausage, New York style split buns, and that frozen veal stock, we headed back South to prepare that chicken for dinner.
This is simply, and surprisingly delicious and I fully credit the impressive flavors to good quality chicken,
Oregon Pinot Gris, hinting of melon and peach,
and that rich flavored frozen roasted veal stock
So here’s the recipe for Marczyk’s Sticky Lips Chicken
Salt and pepper chicken pieces and brown in a heavy pan in butter. Remove and set aside.
Sweat 2 sliced shallots in the pan and deglaze the pan with a dry white wine. Add a dollop of good quality brown mustard and several sprigs of tarragon.
Add chicken back in along with a little more wine, a slice of frozen veal stock and some quality sherry vinegar to make a nice braising liquid for the chicken.
Bake at 350 degrees for about an hour. Serve over buttery egg noodles.
Marczyk owner, Pete says this delicious braised chicken gets its name from the veal demi used in the sauce, adding that the collagen makes your lips stick together.
Sticky Lips Chicken
Ingredients
- 3 pounds skin-on chicken legs thighs and drumsticks separated
- ¼ cup canola oil or crisco shortening
- 3 large shallots peeled and sliced
- ½ cup brown mustard
- 1 cup white wine
- 2 tablespoons sherry vinegar or any other wine-based vinegar
- ¼ pound veal demi-glace Bonewerks CulinArte is recommended
- 2 tablespoons fresh tarragon chopped
- Salt and pepper
Instructions
- Liberally salt and pepper the chicken. In a large non-stick fry pan brown the chicken in oil over medium heat, about 10 minutes per side. Remove and let drain on paper towels.
- Drain off all but about 2 tablespoons of fat. Lightly brown the shallots over medium heat. Add the mustard, wine, sherry, veal demi-glace and fresh tarragon leaves, and stir. Add the chicken and the sauce to a Dutch oven. Cover with enough water to bring the liquid about halfway up the sides of the chicken. Stir once, cover and cook in a 350ºF oven for 1 hour until chicken is golden. Serve with mashed potatoes, rice, noodles or polenta.
Nutrition
Why Trust These Recipes? Lea Ann Brown has lived, worked and played in Colorado for 45 years. She has immersed herself in the Colorado Culinary space, is a Culinary School Graduate and publishes her Colorado food Blog, Cooking On The Ranch.
I love markets like this one. It’s fun to just browse and find new things you had no idea you needed. What a great name for a chicken dish. The veal stock must add lots of flavor. I’m partial to dark meat so this dish is perfect for my taste. Nice post.
Wow that chicken dish looks beautiful! You couldn’t ask for a more complete meal.
That specialty store looks amazing! I wouldn’t be able to be trusted inside…whether I was on a mission or not.
Looks like a very nice market! I love specialty food stores. And the chicken dish is fabulous! Great photos and recipe! Thanks for sharing!
Before I comment on the chicken…I saw Zapp’s Potato Chips in this store in your 3rd picture…I miss them so much and stock up when i go home. I haven’t been able to get them here, but you can get them in Denver…what the heck!!
Your chicken is divine! I’d love to be able to find any thing veal here. I wonder how i could adapt this and to it justice using what we have available here.
I did notice those potato chips. I’ll have to pick some up next time I’m in that store. Thanks for stopping by.
What a gorgeous dish. I must get/make some frozen veal stock, Ive been seeing that a lot lately on some blogs. Sounds amazing, truly.
Yum! Sounds wonderful and I’d love to visit that place!
What a great market! And the chicken looks delish. I wish we had frozen demi glace here!
One of my other readers said you can buy veal stock in a jar from Williams and Sonoma
What can I say? I am a hick; never heard of veal demi glace and I don’t think I’ve ever even seen it offered in our little store. (sad face) Love the title of this recipe though, and now feel a gap in my life because this looks good.
Katy, I had never heard of it either but sure am glad I learned about it. It’s really good stuff.
Thanks for sharing this beautiful dish. I love chicken, so this will be in my to do list.
Those kind of markets are dangerous! I want to buy everything!
Looks great! I love to try new things… and this might just be one of them!
It’s really good Linda. That veal stock really makes a difference in a rich flavor.
BD, I agree, I have to be careful with the wallet in those little specialty food markets.
That sure looks Yummy! Just a quick question. How xome you used an Oregon wine v Co. wine? I have had Erath Pinot Gris and it is good.
This place reminds me of a great market/deli in Birmingham, Michigan called Papa Joe’s. Why we don’t have something like this in my area I can’t imagine. Whole Foods just doesn’t compare.
Anyway, I love, love this recipe. Perfect name! The flavors in the braising sauce are just right. Copying the recipe now….
I wish it were closer to home. I’ll most certainly be making the trip downtown for more visits.
This looks divine! It definitely goes on my ‘must try soon’ list.
It’s wonderful. Hope you try it and like it. Thanks Liz
What an awesome market to visit in the city!!! I really like the idea of frozen veal stock. I need to keep my eyes open in case I pass it in the store.
The sticky lips chicken looks delicious!
Thanks Velva!
Wow – what a great post! I love the market and the chicken. I will have to enjoy it vicariously, since there is NO WAY i will find this up here. (sigh) May I request this when I make it to Denver for a visit? 🙂
Vickie, you could use some chicken stock, it just won’t be as “rich”. And yes, it will be on the menu when you get to dinner! As always, thanks for stopping by
it sounds terrific… But I am guessing I would blow my weekly food budget in the first aisle
Dave, I can’t believe I got out of there for under $40
I’ve got veal demi glace in the fridge at all times. I get mine from Williams-Sonoma. I think this is the best named dish EVER!
Thanks Cathy. I need to pay more attention to those WS products.
I like the frozen veal stock. I haven’t seen that but will have to check out Earth Fare and Fresh Market.
I was thinking it would yield more sauce, was it just enough to coat the chicken or were you just going light on the sauce in the plated picture. I’m just a sauce hound and was thinking how good the extra would be on the noodles.
Chris, The no sauce in the picture wasn’t planned. I took the picture, sat down, took a few bites and realized I hadn’t spooned any sauce over the dinner. A-duh. I’m not one to remake something just for a perfect picture. So I guess this picture is saying “It’s cold in here, can’t you warm me up with some of that sauce”. 🙂 Thanks Chris