Hey, it's nearing Halloween; and at first blush, this chicken recipe indeed seems frightening. Lots o' ingredients . . . or are there? Need for some kind o' special pan/pot . . . or is there? It looks terribly time-consuming . . . but is it?
Chicken with not-so-wild mushrooms . . . Tico style. Reading this post will take almost as long as the cooking, so we'd best get going.
Despite cooking my classes from Paris to West Africa, I rely on two kitchen heros: Alton Brown, who taught me the science of cooking, and Ina Garten, who taught me that cooking can be easy. Ina always demonstrates some nifty, time-saving trick, usually involving the prep work and not the cooking, which is why I love her. I live in Costa Rica, so shopping is a challenge; but with a little ingenuity I've re-created one of my favorite recipes from the Barefoot Contessa. So here's to you, Ms Garten.
Now don't be afraid. You'll need:
- 1-2 pounds of chicken. I used 1.5 pounds of boneless breasts cut roughly into chicken strip sizes. More on this later.
- Salt and pepper. More later on this.
- Olive oil (or any oil you have on hand -- don't get too picky), enough to coat your frying pan.
- Flour -- just about any kind (rice flour, all purpose, cake . . . whatever you've got around).
- 6-8 peeled whole garlic cloves (just grab as many as you've got)
- Some mushrooms, a cup or two. More on this later.
- A fresh herb. Or a dried herb. More on this later.
- 1/4 cup of sherry . . . or some kind of liquor, and don't be afraid to use more to pour some for yourself while reading this. More on this later.
- 1-2 tablespoons of minced garlic.
- 1 cup of some kind of wine or liquor. Again, don't be afraid to pour some for yourself while you're reading; and we'll talk more about this soon.
- 1 cup of something resembling chicken stock . . . such as chicken stock . . . or even the dreaded chicken bullion cube(s).
- 3-4 tablespoons of butter or margarine.
- 1/4 - 1/2 cup chopped parsley (any kind . . . Italian, curly . . . whatever). Or omit this if you're anti-green.
- Tongs, so you'll never have to touch that chicken until it's on your plate.
Before we begin let's discuss these ingredients. Raise your hand if you don't keep sherry in your home. No, not cooking sherry . . . the real deal, either dry or sweet. Anyone? Yeah, I know. So if you have no sherry, substitute something else that you enjoy. I narrowed it down to brandy; but let me tell you, I think that a sweet, orangey Cointreau or Triple Sec would work, or bourbon, or anything with a lot of flavor. What? No brandy, bourbon, or orange liqueur either? Use some wine -- any kind. And if you don't have wine, I am sad to say that you are out of luck on this dish.
As for the other items, just a few quick notes: I always use Kosher salt. Because of its flaky property, it's more difficult to over-salt a dish. If you hate garlic, leave it out. If you love garlic, use all you've got. Ina's recipe calls for wild mushrooms. Whoops. Not going to happen here in Samara, Costa Rica; but when I stumbled across some portobellos one day, I knew it was chicken and mushroom day. Make it work. If you're going for the real-deal with wild mushrooms, you'll want about a pound, or two cups chopped -- don't get picky here, either.
What about that herb? Ina uses fresh thyme . . . well I'm fresh out of thyme. But I do have fresh rosemary . . . it worked very well. No fresh herbs at all? Use about two teaspoons of something dried, such as thyme, basil, rosemary. Important note. If you're using a dried, powdered herb, just use a teaspoon. If you have no fresh herbs but are lucky enough to have dried leaves (thyme, rosemary, basil), I'd use two teaspoons.
Now what about that extra cup of wine or liquor? Ina uses white wine. I don't have white wine. My friends drink it too quickly, and I'm a vodka/gin gal. So I searched the liquor cabinet (it's really a table) and chose Calvados. What? No Calvados . . . never even heard of the stuff? Improvise. If you have sherry, use more; if you have brandy, use more . . . or bourbon. Or if you have wine, use more of it here for that one-cup of wine.
And about that chicken stock. Wouldn't it be nice if we all make home made chicken stock once a week and kept it in the refrigerator or freezer . . . or froze it in ice cube trays like Martha Stewart for use at any time. Yeah. Right. I'm not quite that far 'round the bend. I live in Samara . . . our chicken stock is powdered in a jar made by Maggi and it's really bullion, so it's salty. I can see Ina Garten and Alton Brown swooning at the idea of bullion. Julia Child has just rolled in her grave, which is suitable for Halloween. Finally, about that parsley -- any kind, as much as you like, or omit it completely.
Didn't Kathy say something about a special pan/pot? True, Ina uses a Le Cruset pan that is suitable for stove-top and oven, and so did I. In truth, you could use a deep skillet for the stove-top, and then transfer everything to a baking dish for the oven and simply cover it with foil. Let's not get too fussy about our cookware. What we are going to get fussy about is, yes, again: mis en place. Preparing (chopping, measuring, pouring) everything in advance is what makes this dish realistic for the neurotic keep our kitchen hospital-clean gal that I've become in Costa Rica.
Now, for the star of the dish: the chicken. I hate chicken. Actually, that's not true. For the first six days of its life, there's not much cuter than a baby chick. It's all downhill after that. They're dirty; and they're slimy, at best, after meeting the hands of a good butcher. There's all that watch/wash-whatever-it-touches-thing, and I don't even like eating chicken with bones. There, I said it. Yeah, yeah . . . I know that cooking chicken on the bone imparts so much more flavor. Screw it! I want to cut my chicken with a fork. And this recipe is so good that no bone could improve it. So let's get going by setting everything en place.
Pour some flour into a bowl/pan/dish that is deep enough to move around your chicken pieces using your I-ain't-gonna-touch-it tongs. Open your chicken and while holding it with tongs, cut it any way that your heart desires using a knife. This isn't rocket surgery. Now let's get going on the other ingredients.
Remove the paper of the garlic cloves. Ugh! there's that little hard stem thing at the end of each clove. Lop off that sucker. Now with some of your garlic cloves, chop finely about two tablespoons, and yes, feel free to use a food processor. This isn't a lesson on knife skills. Now place your whole cloves in a little dish and place your chopped garlic in another little dish.
Now the fun part. Pour your sherry into a dish or glass. Don't drink it all -- leave at least a quarter cup for the recipe. Again, if you have no sherry, improvise. Same for the cup of wine -- pour it into a glass; and if you don't have wine, don't obsess . . . use bourbon, or brandy, or vermouth -- anything with plenty of flavor, which rules-out gin and vodka, right? You're with me now . . . I can tell.
Cut off three or four tablespoons from a stick of butter and set it with your other ingredients. Measure a cup of chicken stock, or chicken broth, or bullion, or even vegetable broth. Place it with your other items. Now chop your parsley and put it in a dish. With all your ingredients ready, chopped, poured, and in one place, this will take just over 30 minutes. Here we go.
If your chicken is wet, dab him or her with a paper towel. Put salt and pepper on both sides of your chicken. Use your tongs. No one wants to touch that beast. Using your tongs, dredge your chicken pieces in your dish of flour.
If your dish is big enough, that floured bird can just sit there until you're ready for him. If it's a small dish, put the flour-coated pieces onto a plate. Don't skimp on the flour. Smash that flour into that bird -- later you'll be glad that you did when your sauce is rich and thick.
Turn on the stove to medium and add enough oil to cover the bottom of your pan. This isn't the time to get stingy. When the oil is hot (drop a tiny pinch of flour in it and if it sizzles immediately, it's hot), add your chicken piece-by-piece. Don't crowd your chicken -- even chicken doesn't like to touch chicken.
After about four minutes of sizzling, turn your chicken with your tongs. Each piece should be browned, but don't expect golden brown. In another three minutes remove your chicken back to its plate and just let him sit there and think about what he did to get into this mess. Now let's work on our mushrooms and their friends, which are already chopped and just sitting there waiting their turn.
Toss into your skillet (or whatever type of pan you're using) your whole garlic cloves, your herb(s), the 1/4 cup sherry (or other liquor, or even wine) and your mushrooms. Stir it all about once or twice, give it a moment while you have a sip of wine . . . then scrape up those yummy brown bits from the bottom. You want to see a clean pan where you've scraped.
Don't be afraid . . . scrape that thing!
Now add your minced garlic, stir it until you smell garlic (about one minute), then add your one cup of wine (or the one cup of what ever you've selected, alcohol-wise) and your chicken stock/broth/bullion.
This is the most important part of the recipe: taste it now for salt and pepper. Now, not later. Bring it all to a simmer, which means that the top of those mushrooms and liquid have only a few bubbles breaking the surface . . . not bubbles everywhere.
Turn off the heat, place back into the pan your chicken pieces, nestling them in the mushroom goodness, and pop that pan into the oven at 325 degrees for about 20 minutes. Remember, you're using boneless chicken. If you've chosen chicken on the bone, you'll want an oven cook-time of at least 35 minutes, or until a thermometer placed in your chicken meat says 165 degrees.
OH! That pan issue? If you've cooked your chicken and all other ingredients in a pan that is unsuitable for the oven, simply dump everything (careful, it's hot and will splash) into a baking dish, cover tightly with foil, and place it in the oven.
Fast forward 20-25 minutes. Out from the oven comes your pan, back on a very low stove, and in goes your butter. Wow! Watch that beautiful mushroom sauce turn glossy. When the butter is melted, you're done. Place the chicken on a serving platter, spoon on the mushroom sauce, and top with your parsley.
Now in all candor, it's the rich flavors from sherry, brandy, Marsala, Calvados, or other rich-in-flavor liquors that make this dish out-of-this-world incredible. If you're using wine it won't be as uniquely rich, but it's still one heck of a chicken and mushroom dish.
Did Kathy mention some orange-flavored liquor? Yes, I did. I used apple flavored Calvados, and it was fabulous. When I prepare this again, using Cointreau or Triple Sec, I'll probably substitute cilantro for the parsley and aim for an Asian, orange-mushroom chicken pairing. Enjoy.
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