CHICKEN CHARDONNAY

I have been making this for years, mostly using bone in, skin on chicken thighs. This time I opted for de-boning the thighs while leaving the skin on. It is a simple, elegant dish that doesn’t require a lot of prep and cooks in less than an hour.

You are probably not going to find boneless thighs with the skin on unless you have a really friendly, cooperative butcher. I have just learned to de-bone chicken thighs without too much trauma. It’s easy! Obvisouly, you can use boneless and skinless thighs, but leaving the skin on provides so much more chicken flavor. This recipe is for two people as a used just three small thighs but works just as well with more chicken for a larger crowd.

Here’s how I do it…

Ingredients:

• 3-4 chicken thighs, de-boned, skin on

• Kosher salt and black pepper

• Canola oil

• Irish butter

• 1 cup cremini mushrooms, quartered (white mushrooms work as well)

• 1 medium shallot, peeled, minced

• 2 garlic cloves, peeled, smashed

• 1 large sprig fresh thyme

• 1/2 cup dry white wine (I use chardonnay)

• 1 cup low-sodium chicken stock

• 1/2 cup cream

• Chopped parsley

Directions:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

• Thoroughly dry the thighs with paper towels. Season both sides with Kosher salt (save the pepper for later as it can burn when sauteeing)

• Heat a stainless steel or enameled cast iron skillet over medium heat and add about 1-2 tbsp of canola oil. When the oil is hot, add the thighs skin side down (do not crowd the pan if doing a larger amount). Let them brown deeply on the first side about 3-4 minutes then turn and repeat on the other side. SEason with pepper. Remove the thighs to a plate and set aside.

• Drain most of the oil from the pan. Lower heat a bit and add 2 tbsp of butter. Add the quartered mushrooms to the pan and let them start to brown a little, about 3-4 minutes. Season lightly with salt and pepper. Add the shallots and garlic and stir for about 45 seconds.

• Add the wine to the pan and deglaze the pan, scraping the bottom with a wooden spoon. Add the whole thyme sprig. Let the wine reduce until almost gone, about 3 minutes then add the stock.

• Return the thighs to the pan skin side up, pushing the mushrooms to the edges. Bring to a simmer.

• Cover the pan and place in the oven for 45 minutes. Remove the lid for the last 10 minutes to crisp up the thighs.

• Remove from the oven and place the thighs on a hot plate and keep warm.

• Let the liquid in the pan simmer to reduce by half then add the cream and let it simmer to thicken for 2-3 minutes. Remove the thyme sprigs and garlic cloves. Swirl in 1 tbsp of butter. Taste and reseason if necessary.

• Plate the thighs on plates then spoon some of the sauce and the mushrooms over them. Garnish with chopped parsley.

• I served mine with steamed white rice that I stirred in sliced green onions.