Mushroom Lover's Chardonnay Chicken Stew

Chardonnay Chicken Stew with Mushrooms

If you really love mushrooms, then you will love this chicken stew recipe.  It's from Susan Wyler's one-pot-meal cookbook called Simply Stews.

The stew is rich in flavor from the velvety chicken broth, earthy mushrooms and fragrant tarragon.  It uses porcini, shiitake, cremini, and portobello mushrooms.

We served it over rice, with a side of sauteed French green beans.

I removed the skin before serving, but left it on during stewing for added flavor.

Chardonnay Chicken Stew with Mushrooms
(Susan Wyler's Simply Stews)

4 to 6 servings

1  3-4 pound chicken, cut into parts and back removed
Salt and pepper
2 T. dried porcini mushrooms
1/4 cup olive oil
2 cups chicken stock
1 t. dried tarragon
4 T. butter
1/2 pound shiitake mushrooms, stemmed, caps halved or quartered
3 medium shallots, chopped (1/4 cup)
1/2 pound cremini mushrooms (or white), quartered
1/2 pound portobello mushrooms, halved and thickly sliced
1 1/2 t. fresh lemon juice
dash of cayenne
2 t. cornstarch
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 T.  chopped parsley (or chervil)

Rinse chicken and pat it dry.  Cut into 10 serving pieces:  2 drumsticks, 2 thighs, 2 wings, and 4 pieces of breast (cut both sides crosswise in half).  Season with salt and pepper.  (I bought a chicken already cut up at the grocery store.)

In a small heatproof bowl (or your Pyrex measuring cup), soak the porcini in 1 cup boiling water until soft, about 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a large flameproof casserole, heat 2 T. of the oil over moderately high heat.  Add the chicken in 2 batches and saute, turning, until golden brown, about 7 minutes per batch.  Remove the chicken to a plate and pour off all the oil from the pan.

Add the wine to the casserole and bring to a boil, scraping up any brown bits from the bottom of the pan. 

Return the chicken to the pan and add the chicken stock, 1/2 t. of the tarragon, 1/2 t. salt., and 1/4 t. pepper.  Bring to a bare simmer, cover the pan, and cook over moderately low heat for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the chicken is tender.

Meanwhile, remove the porcini from their soaking liquid and squeeze them over the bowl to catch any remaining juices. Rinse the porcini to remove any sand or grit, then chop them.  Strain and reserve the soaking liquid.

In a large skillet, melt 2 T. of butter in 1 T of oil.  Add half the shiitake mushrooms and saute over moderately high heat for 2 minutes.  Add half the shallots, half the cremini, and half the portobellos and cook, tossing frequently, until lightly browned, 2 to 3 minutes.  Scrape the mushrooms into a bowl. 

Saute the remaining mushrooms to the pan.  Season with the remaining 1/2 t. tarragon, 1/2 t. salt, 1/8 t. pepper, the lemon juice and the cayenne. 

Add the chopped porcini and reserved soaking liquid to the skillet and boil, stirring, until the liquid is reduced by half, 1 to 2 minutes. 

Scrape the mushrooms and liquid into the casserole and simmer for 10 minutes

Blend the cornstarch with the cream until smooth. 

Stir into the stew and simmer for 2 minutes. 

Garnish with the parsley and serve.

We served ours over rice and green beans.  There is lots of liquid with this stew, so you could also serve it with a crusty bread for soaking up the juices.

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