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
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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 2In a 12-inch skillet or pan (with a lid) heat oil over medium-high heat.
step 3Transfer 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 4Pour 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 5Add onion and sauté until soft, about 10 minutes.
step 6Pour 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 7Drain wild mushrooms from their soaking liquid, reserving ½ cup of liquid. Chop mushrooms.
step 8Add 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 9Add 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 10Remove cover, stir in heavy cream or crème fraîche, return to a simmer and cook uncovered for additional 10 minutes so sauce can thicken.
step 11Once 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 12Add 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 13Transfer chicken to a serving platter. Spoon sauce over chicken and sprinkle with chopped parsley. Serve warm.