Chicken Braised with Mushrooms

Serves 8

This isn’t a terribly complicated recipe, and—to be perfectly honest—there’s nothing earth-shatteringly innovative about it. All I can tell you is that it tastes great. Chicken and mushrooms both have an amazing capacity to soak up the flavor of white wine, tingeing them with a pleasing acidity. The ingredient list below doesn’t look like much but, trust me, it adds up to much more than the sum of its parts.

 

2 chickens (about 3 pounds each), quartered

Coarse salt

Freshly ground black pepper

¹/₂ cup olive oil

1 bottle (750 ml) dry white wine

1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves

1¹/₂ quarts store-bought, reduced-sodium chicken broth or homemade Chicken Stock

¹/₄ cup dried porcini mushrooms, rinsed

4 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced, plus 8 cloves, unpeeled

1¹/₂ pounds small white mushrooms

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, optional

 

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F.

2. Wash the chicken pieces in cold running water and pat thoroughly dry with paper towels. Season generously with salt and pepper. Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy-bottomed ovenproof pot over medium-high heat until hot but not smoking. Add the chicken pieces and brown them all over, 4 to 5 minutes per side. (You may need to do this in batches.) Use tongs or a slotted spoon to transfer the chicken to a plate; set aside.

3. Remove the pot from the heat. Pour out and discard the fat. Return the pot to the stovetop, add the wine, and bring to a boil over medium-high heat, scraping up any browned bits stuck to the bottom of the pot. Add the thyme and cook for 1 to 2 minutes. Add the chicken broth, porcini, and garlic cloves. Stir in 1 tablespoon salt and 1 teaspoon pepper.

4. Return the chicken to the pot and add the mushrooms. Transfer the pot to the oven and braise until a sharp, thin-bladed knife inserted to the bone reveals no red within and only the faintest trace of pink, if any, about 25 minutes for the breast pieces, 40 minutes for the others. As the pieces are done, remove them from the pot and transfer them to a baking sheet.

5. Use tongs or a slotted spoon to transfer the mushrooms to a plate and set aside. Return the pot to the stovetop and reduce the liquid over high heat for 5 minutes, skimming any scum that rises to the surface. While the sauce is reducing, reheat the chicken pieces in the oven for 2 minutes. Off the heat, swirl the butter into the sauce, if using.

6. To serve, place 1 chicken piece on each of 8 warm dinner plates, and top with some mushrooms and sauce.