This hearty chicken stew is a signature dish in French cuisine. I have read that the pairing of mushrooms and chicken (the stars of the show) is not just a coincidence. During the hunt for chicken and other game, hunters would forage for mushrooms as they went.
I can see how this dish would be perfect after a long cold day hunting. The fresh ingredients come together perfectly and leave you satisfied without being heavy.
This is my take and it all happens in one casserole pot.
Steps
- Preparing the chicken and the vegetables
- Browning the chicken
- Cooking the vegetables
- Simmering for about an hour then reducing the sauce
- Serving
Equipment
- 1 chef’s knife
- 1 wooden spoon
- 1 casserole dish or hob suitable dish
Ingredients
- 4 – 6 chicken thighs, skinless, deboned
- 1 brown onion, diced
- 2 garlic cloves, diced
- 2 carrots, sliced
- 2 celery sticks, sliced
- Mushrooms (I used a handful of buttons and another of shitake)
- A good slug of tomato paste
- white wine or chinese cooking wine, to deglaze
- Thyme sprigs to taste
- 1L chicken stock (I used this home-made stock)
- olive oil
- Flour, enough to coat the chicken thighs
- Salt to taste
- Black peppercorns (cracked or ground) to taste
Preparing the chicken and the vegetables
- Coat the chicken in a mix of flour and pepper and set aside.
- Prepare the:
- 1 brown onion, diced
- 2 garlic cloves, diced
- 2 carrots, sliced
- 2 celery sticks, sliced
- Mushrooms, cleaned and sliced or left whole but stems separated
- Thyme, rinsed
Browning the chicken
- Add a slug of olive oil to your pot and bring to medium heat.
- Cook the chicken thighs in batches for about 5 minutes a side.
- Remove them to a plate and cover to keep them warm
Cooking the vegetables
- Deglaze the pan with some white wine or fortified cooking wine.
- Add the onions and and cook until soft.
- Add the garlic cloves and cook for a minute or so.
- Add the carrots, celery, mushrooms and thyme.
- Cook for another minute or so and add a good slug of tomato paste.
- Add the 1L chicken stock and bring to the boil.
Simmering for an hour then reducing the sauce
- Turn the heat to a low simmer.
- Put the chicken thighs back into the pot and giver everything a gentle mix.
- Simmer for about an hour.
- Remove the chicken thighs again and keep them warm.
- Turn the heat back up and reduce the remaining liquid until it is thickened considerably (10 to 15 minutes should do it).
- Return the thighs again and give a gentle mix.
At the start of simmering:
After simmering for an hour:
After the sauce has been reduced:
Serving
I simply placed the dish in the middle of the table and let everyone serve themselves. Crusty bread and mashed potatoes were the accompanying act but it also goes great with rice.
Enjoy,
PK
Here are some more French cooking secrets and chicken recipes :
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