Chicken with Wild Mushrooms

My most favorite cookbook author is Ina Garten and she has a new book out (came out on Oct. 31) called Barefoot Contessa Foolproof. Of course, I had to get this book the day it came out. I just could not wait and I think this is her eighth book and I have them all.

 

 

The very first recipe I prepared from this book was Chicken with Wild Mushrooms and it is absolutely delicious. I prepared it for my family since they are most often my Guinea pigs and got rave reviews. I knew that I probably would want to prepare this for our dinner party group that met last Thursday and once again this recipe got rave reviews from there as well. Everyone wanted the recipe.

 

 

 

Chicken with Wild Mushrooms

 

 

2 (3 1/2-to 4-pound) chickens, cut in eighths

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

All purpose flour

1/2 cup good olive oil

8 whole garlic cloves

1 1/2 pounds assorted wild mushrooms, such as porcini and cremini, stems removed and (1 1/2-inch) diced

8 sprigs fresh thyme, tied with kitchen string

1/4 cup dry sherry

1 tablespoon minced garlic (3 cloves)

2 cups white wine, such as Pinot Grigio

2 cups good chicken stock, preferably homemade

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature

 

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.

 

Pat the chicken dry with paper towels and sprinkle both sides liberally with salt and pepper. Place 1/2 cup flour in a bowl and dredge the chicken in the flour. In a large (12-inch) ovenproof pot such as Le Creuset, heat the oil. Add the chicken in three batches (don't crowd them!) and brown lightly over medium-high heat for 3 to 5 minutes on each side. Remove the chicken to a plate and continue until all the chicken is browned.

 

Add the whole garlic cloves, mushrooms, and thyme to the pot and cook over medium heat for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the sherry and cook for 1 minute, scraping up the brown bits. Add the minced garlic and cook for 2 more minutes. Add the wine, chicken stock, 1 tablespoon salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper and bring to a simmer. Add the chicken (large pieces first), cover, and place in the middle of the oven for 30 to 35 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through (about 165 degrees on an instant-read thermometer).

 

Remove the chicken to a bowl and discard the thyme. With a fork, mash together the butter and 1/4 cup flour and add it to the sauce. Simmer, stirring constantly, over medium heat for 5 minutes, until slightly thickened. Season to taste (it should be highly seasoned), put the chicken back in the sauce, and serve hot.

 

 

 I always prep everything before beginning a dish.

 



 

 

The fragrance of those first few ingredients was amazing and it was wafting through my whole house.

 

 

 

 

When I prepared this for my family I used only chicken breasts since I had already planned to serve this dish at our dinner group and thought using chicken breasts would make for a nicer presentation. In place of the two chickens I used six whole chicken breasts and it was a perfect switch. This recipe makes plenty of sauce and it is a excellent dish to serve for a dinner party. As it happened, I watched Ina do this recipe on her program as well and she talked about the fact that it was a great make ahead dish because all you had to do was reheat it and serve. She was so right and for the dinner party I was doing we had at another friends home, I was co-hosting so it easily transports too.

 

 

It is a fairly rich dish so when doing it for my family I simply served it with fresh pole beans and fingerling potatoes. For the dinner party we served it with a Mixed Green Salad with strawberries and a balsamic vinaigrette and Hericot Vert. I often forget that many of Ina Garten 's recipes call for more salt and pepper than I normally care for so when I make this dish again I will half the salt and pepper. The sauce is absolutely delicious too and I can see this atop some basmati rice, oh YUM.

 

 

As I expected Ina has another winner of a cookbook and I will enjoy trying many other recipes from this new book.

 

 

Thank you for visiting my blog. I am linking this post to Rattlebridge Farm for Foodie Friday.