Light brown, Cremini mushrooms are young Portabella or Portobello mushrooms – (both spellings are used). They are tastier than their cousins, white button mushrooms, and have a firmer texture.
Chicken thighs, les cuisses, on the bone with skin, have more flavor than chicken breasts and that’s what I buy for my sautés. In any case, although, in North American boneless, skinless chicken thighs are very common, it would be rare to find them prepared that way in France. If you prefer white meat, look for breasts with part of the wing and the skin left on, known as suprêmes de volaille, and reduce the cooking time. If cooking a mix of dark and white meat, remove the breast 10 minutes before the rest of the pieces are done.
Serve accompanied by steamed rice or cooked, wide egg noodles.
Chicken and Cremini Mushrooms cooked in White Wine
Ingredients
- Serves 4-6
- 3½ tablespoons (50 g) butter
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 1 leek, white part only, finely sliced
- 5 ounces (150 g) bacon or pancetta, chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, finely sliced
- 8 chicken pieces
- 4 ½ ounces (250 g) Cremini mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
- 500 ml dry white wine
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 cup (250 ml) heavy cream or crème fraîche
- Salt and pepper
- 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
- 2 tablespoons (40 g) butter + 4 tablespoons (40 g) flour to thicken sauce (beurre manié)
Instructions
- Pat the chicken pieces dry, season with salt and pepper.
- Heat the butter and oil together in a large pot over medium heat. When the butter begins to foam, add the chicken, starting skin side down, and cook until golden brown, turn and brown the other side. This is an important step which can take 10 to 15 minutes. Do not crowd the pan, brown in several batches if necessary. Remove the chicken pieces to a platter.
- Turn the heat down and add the onions, leeks, and chopped bacon or pancetta. Cook until the onions are translucent, 10-12 minutes. Add the garlic; cook 2-3 minutes, stirring them with the other ingredients. Add the mushrooms, then pour in the wine. Turn up the heat and boil the wine rapidly for about 3 minutes while stirring and scraping up any cooking residue that sticks to the bottom of the pan. Return the chicken pieces to the pot along with any juices that have accumulated in the bowl. Add the bay leaves, turn down the heat and simmer for 20–25 minutes with the pot partially covered.
- While the chicken is cooking, knead the flour and butter together to make the beurre manié paste.
- Add the cream and continue cooking 10 to 15 minutes until the chicken is cooked through. Transfer the chicken and mushrooms from the pot to a serving bowl and discard the bay leaves, keep warm. Reduce the sauce by 1/3 to concentrate the flavor. Using a whisk, stir in a tablespoon of the butter flour paste. Return the mixture to a boil and cook for at least one minute until the sauce begins to thicken. If your sauce is not as thick as you would like it, whisk in a bit more beurre manié.
- Coat the chicken and mushrooms with the sauce, sprinkle with parsley and serve.
3.1
https://www.charlottepuckette.com/recipes/main-dish-meatpoultry/chicken-and-cremini-mushrooms-cooked-in-white-wine/
