Mushrooms can be a divisive ingredient. You either love them or hate them – a dichotomy I’ve always suspected has much to do with the texture of the white button mushrooms that many people associate with the word ‘mushroom’. I love them. Even the insipid white button mushrooms can add a tremendous amount of flavor to a dish – in part because many mushrooms naturally contain a flavor enhancer similar to that found in parmesan cheese, soy sauce, and other foods you will hear described as being rich in “umami.”
This French-style dish builds on Poulet à la Crème to yield a deeply mushroomy, creamy sauce that will burn through an entire loaf of that quarentine sourdough when you go to mop up the sauce.
Poulet Allemande – Chicken Thighs with Mushrooms and Cream
Course: MainCuisine: FrenchDifficulty: Medium4
servings30
minutes1
hour30
minutes2
hoursFrench style chicken with mushrooms and cream
Ingredients
- Mushroom Broth
8 oz Cremini or “Baby Bella” mushrooms
2 cups water
1 tsp salt
- Poulet Allemande
4 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
2 cups light chicken stock
1 cup mushroom broth(following)
½ cup dry white wine
½ cup heavy cream
2 sprigs thyme
1 shallot
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1 egg, separated
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ground pepper
1 tsp brandy (opt)
12 dried morel mushrooms
Directions
- Mushroom Broth
- Clean your mushrooms by wiping with a dry towel, or quickly rinse them to remove soil. Because these mushrooms will be cooked in liquid, wetting them is not an issue.
- If using whole mushrooms, quarter them.
- Add mushrooms, salt, and water to a saucepan and bring to a low simmer. Cook covered for 30 minutes to one hour.
- Strain the broth and discard the mushrooms.
- Poulet Allemande
- Preheat your oven to 300°.
- Prepare the dried morels by soaking in 1 cup water.
- Peel, trim, and dice the shallot.
- Season chicken well on both sides, and sear over a low flame, being careful not to overly brown the chicken. A light color on the chicken will work best with this sauce.
- Cook until much of the fat is rendered and the skin is tight, but not browned.
- Remove the chicken from the pan, and discard all but 1 tsp of fat.
- Add the shallot and thyme to the pan. Sautée just until the shallot softens. Deglaze the pan with the white wine.
- Return the chicken to the pan.
- Add chicken stock and mushroom broth – or the morel soaking liquid – to the pan and bring to a low simmer.
- Transfer to the oven, covered, to cook for approximately 1 hour, or until chicken is very tender and almost falling away from the bone.
- Remove the chicken from the pan and transfer the pan to the stove.
- Add mustard and heavy cream, whisking well to combine. Bring to a simmer and reduce until about 1 cup of liquid remains.
- Separate out the egg yolk, discarding the white or reserving it for another purpose.
- Whisk the egg yolk until it begins to lighten. Slowly drizzle ¼ -⅓ of the sauce into the egg while whisking. This step, called tempering, prevents the egg from curdling or scrambling when added to the hot liquid. Slowly add the egg/sauce mixture back to the remaining sauce, whisking to combine well and to keep the egg from curdling.
- Return chicken to the pan on the stove to warm through.
- Add the mushrooms and brandy, if using. If using the brandy, simmer quickly for a minute or so to drive off the alcohol.
- To serve, place a chicken thigh at the center of the plate, and spoon sauce evenly over the piece. Arrange 3 morels per serving around each thigh. Garnish with fresh thyme and / or chervil.
- Serve with braised endive and pommes purée, or herb roasted potatoes and a light fresh salad.
Be sure to check out my other food project, The Weekly Menu!