But serious cooks know that braising is not just for "peasants." Braising insures sinfully tender and juicy meat. Yet the key to successful braising is time.

It takes two days to prepare a proper braised dish. In this recipe, day one begins with cooking the chicken then allowing the meat to soak in the braising liquid overnight. Our humble chicken sleeps in a warm stew with saffron-what could be more simple, yet regal at the same time? By day two the flavors come together and the final touches are put on the dish.

The saffron broth recipe can also function as the base for numerous soups and sauces.

Add the remaining 1 tbsp. of olive oil and the remaining ½ cup of flour to the stockpot. Cook the flour and oil "roux" until it is a deep golden color, about 4-5 minutes. Add the onion, celery and bell pepper and cook the vegetables until they are tender, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and continue to cook for 1 minute. Add the white wine and stir. Add the tomatoes, breaking them with a wooden spoon. Add the chicken stock, saffron and cayenne. Stir the stew and let it continue to cook. Return the pieces of chicken to the stockpot and reduce the heat to a simmer. Partially cover the pot with a lid, leaving space for steam to escape. Cook the chicken until it is very tender, about one hour.

Remove the stockpot from the heat and let it cool to room temperature. Place the stockpot, covered, in the refrigerator overnight.

Day Two
Remove the chicken pieces from the stockpot, reserving the tomato braising stew. Heat the oven to 400°. Place the chicken pieces on a rack placed over a cookie sheet. Roast the chicken in the oven as you prepare the saffron broth and rice.

Steam the rice in a rice cooker according to the manufacturer's instructions. When the rice is finished, add the tomato stew and stir to incorporate the stew into the rice. Keep the rice warm until service.

In a heavy stockpot, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the shallots and garlic and sauté until softened, about 2 minutes. Add the wine and cook until it is reduced and most of the wine is evaporated, about 5 minutes. Add the chicken stock, orange juice, orange zest, saffron, oregano and bring the broth to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer, add the cayenne and salt and pepper to taste, and cook the broth for 20 minutes. Strain the broth into another stockpot, add the saffron threads and keep the broth warm over low heat until ready to serve.

To prepare the orange slices you will need a very sharp paring knife. Cut a slice off one end of the orange so that it will sit upright on a cutting board. Cut a slice off the other end of the orange. With the orange sitting upright on the cutting board, cut down the sides of the orange removing all of the peel and exposing the slices of the orange. You will notice the membrane separating the slices. Cut the slices between the membrane. You will be left with clean slices of orange with no rind or membrane. Cover and refrigerate the orange slices until service.

To serve, place a mound of the rice in the center of a large, but shallow, soup bowl or dinner plate. (I like to use small, round, glass dishes for presenting the rice. Just pack some of the rice into the dish, turn it upside down onto the plate, unmold and voila, a perfect little round of rice).

Place two pieces of the chicken around the rice. Ladle some of the warm saffron broth around the chicken. Place 3 orange segments in the broth. Garnish the dish with a sprig of fresh oregano and some of the sliced green onions.