Braised chicken leg forestiere

Ingredients

  • 1 ounce dried chanterelle mushrooms (or other dried wild mushrooms)
  • 8 skin-on, bone-in chicken thighs
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 2 small onions, cut in half and sliced into crescents
  • ⅓ cup Madeira (or dry sherry)
  • 8 ounces carrots, peeled and cut into thin matchsticks (batons)
  • 4 sprigs of fresh thyme
  • ½ cup chicken stock
  • ⅔ cup heavy cream or crème fraîche
  • 1 pound cremini or button mushrooms, sliced
  • 1 tablespoon finely chopped parsley
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • Serve with: rice (brown and/or wild) or boiled potatoes

Preparations

    step 1

    Place dried mushrooms in a bowl and cover with 1-1/2 cups boiling water. Let sit for 30 minutes.In a 12-inch skillet or pan (with a lid) heat oil over medium-high heat.Season chicken thighs with salt and pepper on both sides.

    step 2

    In a 12-inch skillet or pan (with a lid) heat oil over medium-high heat.

    step 3

    Transfer chicken skin side down to pan. Brown chicken in 2 batches, turning once pieces easily release from pan, about 10 to 12 minutes total per batch. Make sure the skin is well browned. Transfer to a plate and set aside.

    step 4

    Pour off all but one tablespoon of fat from pan into a small bowl (reserve this to cook the fresh mushrooms). Return pan to medium heat.

    step 5

    Add onion and sauté until soft, about 10 minutes.

    step 6

    Pour in Madeira (or sherry) and deglaze pan, scraping up any browned bits with a wooden spoon until alcohol is almost absorbed, about 2 minutes.

    step 7

    Drain wild mushrooms from their soaking liquid, reserving ½ cup of liquid. Chop mushrooms.

    step 8

    Add carrots, thyme sprigs, wild mushrooms, ½ cup soaking liquid and chicken stock to pan and stir. Raise heat to high and bring to a boil. Once boiled, reduce heat to medium-low, cover and cook for 10 minutes.

    step 9

    Add chicken back to pan skin side up with any accumulated juices from plate. Cover and continue to cook on medium-low for 40 minutes.

    step 10

    Remove cover, stir in heavy cream or crème fraîche, return to a simmer and cook uncovered for additional 10 minutes so sauce can thicken.

    step 11

    Once you’ve added the heavy cream or crème fraîche, start cooking the cremini mushrooms. Heat 1 tablespoon of the reserved chicken fat in a separate large skillet over medium-high heat. Sauté mushrooms until they are golden brown and any liquid that was released by mushrooms has been absorbed, about 6 to 8 minutes. Season mushrooms with salt and pepper.

    step 12

    Add mushrooms to pan with chicken. Gently toss to combine. The sauce should be thick enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon. If it’s not, cook a few additional minutes. Taste for seasoning and add additional salt and pepper if needed.

    step 13

    Transfer chicken to a serving platter. Spoon sauce over chicken and sprinkle with chopped parsley. Serve warm.