Photo by Joey de Larrazabal-BlancoPreparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 1 hour and 10 minutes
Serves: 4
There is something about serving food family-style—with everyone helping themselves from a big communal pot—that is just perfect for casual get-togethers. With its mild licorice creaminess from the tarragon, cream, and cheese, coupled with the earthy mushroom undertones, this dish makes up with tasty comfort what it lacks for in elegance. Serve with hot rice to soak up the velvety juices. Any leftover chicken can be shredded and mixed with the remaining sauce to make a lovely topping for pasta or filling for a pot pie.
Ingredients
- Olive oil
- 4 chicken leg quarters, drumstick and thigh part separated
- 2 small white onions, peeled and cut into eighths
- 2 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
- 200 grams Swiss brown or mini Portobello mushrooms, thickly sliced
- 250 ml cream
- 4-5 sprigs tarragon, leaves picked
- Sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper
- One 125-gram round brie cheese, sliced
Preparation
- Pat chicken pieces dry with a paper towel. Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Meanwhile, heat a pan over medium-high heat. When the pan is hot, add a couple of generous swirls of oil. Add the chicken in one layer, not on top of each other. Do this in batches, if necessary. Brown the chicken on all sides and then remove to a baking dish or Pyrex that will fit all the chicken pieces in one layer.
- When all the chicken has been browned, remove all but 2 tablespoons of oil in the pan. Add the onions and the garlic and sauté until the onion is soft and translucent. Add the mushrooms and toss, continuing to cook, until mushrooms start to soften. Add a couple spoonfuls of water if the pan becomes too dry.
- Add the cream and tarragon, stirring to pick up any brown bits on the bottom of the pan. Taste, and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring now and again, until the flavors have melded and the mushrooms are soft. Taste again and adjust seasoning if needed.
- Pour the mushroom and cream mixture over the chicken in the baking dish. Spread the cream around so it is evenly distributed around the chicken. Cover the dish with foil and place in a pre-heated 350F oven for 30 minutes.
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After 30 minutes, remove the foil, top the chicken pieces with brie slices, and return to the oven, uncovered, and continue to bake for around 20-30 minutes more, or until the chicken is cooked through.
Visit Joey de Larrazabal-Blanco's blog at http://80breakfasts.blogspot.com.
