I’m currently reading Janet Skeslien Charles’ The Paris Library and am reminded of how French words just sound better. Even if it’s just in my head as I can only successfully speak a few words of French. I was originally going to change the title of this recipe to ‘Chicken with Mushrooms’ but decided to keep its French name which translates to ‘chicken of the forest.’
To me this is the perfect dish for a cold winter weekend. You never want to rush a braised chicken dish like this so weekends are ideal so you have more time to enjoy the cooking process. Including prep time, this recipe takes a bit less than two hours to prepare. It’s also one of those meals that warms you up inside.
Thinking about foods that you find in a forest you’ll likely not be surprised that ‘forestière’ dishes typically contain mushrooms. Here I used a combination of dried wild chanterelles and fresh cremini. Add to it some skin-on, bone-in chicken thighs, veggies, Madeira, and a bit of heavy cream or crème fraîche to thicken up the sauce. I served it atop a bed of a wild rice and brown rice mixture.
Simple ingredients that come together to form a flavorful dish. This recipe makes four portions – I froze half and look forward to having a special meal on a weeknight soon.
Back to how I began this post. I’m only about a quarter of the way through The Paris Library and am thoroughly enjoying it. The author does a wonderful job of weaving in passages or characters from many classic books. Plus there are many references to great French things including my favorite French cake – an Opera Cake (always made with almond flour so it’s gluten-free!). As luck would have it, Ed ordered one for Valentine’s Day from Aux Petits Delices in Wayne, PA so we had a bit of France at home.
| Chicken Forestière | | Print |
- 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
- Place dried mushrooms in a bowl and cover with 1-1/2 cups boiling water. Let sit for 30 minutes.
- Season chicken thighs with salt and pepper on both sides.
- In a 12-inch skillet or pan (with a lid) heat oil over medium-high heat.
- Transfer 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.
- Pour 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.
- Add onion and sauté until soft, about 10 minutes.
- Pour in Madeira (or sherry) and deglaze pan, scraping up any browned bits with a wooden spoon until alcohol is almost absorbed, about 2 minutes.
- Drain wild mushrooms from their soaking liquid, reserving ½ cup of liquid. Chop mushrooms.
- Add 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.
- Add chicken back to pan skin side up with any accumulated juices from plate. Cover and continue to cook on medium-low for 40 minutes.
- Remove cover, stir in heavy cream or crème fraîche, return to a simmer and cook uncovered for additional 10 minutes so sauce can thicken.
- Once 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.
- Add 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.
- Transfer chicken to a serving platter. Spoon sauce over chicken and sprinkle with chopped parsley. Serve warm.
* I used a 5 quart braiser (with lid) to cook the chicken. I browned the chicken in 2 batches, but fit all 8 pieces in for the braising step.
Source: Adapted from Diana Henry’s A Bird in the Hand (2015)
Absolutely delicious! Used shallots instead of onions but all else was true to the recipe. Thank you!
Geraldine – Thank you for letting me know! Shallots are always a good substitute. I’m so glad you enjoyed it.
This was wonderful!
Carol – I’m so glad you liked it and appreciate you letting me know.