MUSHROOM CHICKEN

It’s Sunday afternoon. You’re standing at the kitchen counter staring down at some beautiful, fresh chicken thighs and you’re wondering to yourself, "How should I prepare this chicken today?"  Last week, it was fried. The week before that, it was baked. You did it up barbecue style for Memorial Day and since July 4th is just around the corner, you don’t want to go that route again too soon. So, the question is this: what can you do differently to this chicken that won’t bore your family to tears? Well, the answer is probably already there in your refrigerator or your pantry right now. Just grab that bottle of leftover red wine from your last party; some chicken broth, some mushrooms and herbs and meet me back over at the counter in a few minutes.

On the menu today is a receipe that I ran across on BHG.com (Better Homes and Gardens) called “Chicken and Vegetables with Herbs.”  When first I saw the recipe online, it looked so good on the photograph that I printed a copy and set it aside along with all of my other recipes. When I found myself standing in front of the counter looking down at my chicken earlier today, I decided to pull out that recipe and give it a try.  I’m not quite sure why it's called “Chicken and Vegetables with Herbs” because even though there are several herbs in the dish, the only vegetables are mushrooms and onions.  Besides, the name sounds kind of blah to me so for my own purposes, I decided to rename this dish “Mushroom Chicken.”

Special Notes: The recipe calls for pearl onions but you’ll notice in my photograph of the ingredients that I did not include them in my dish. Also, it’s a slow cooker recipe but I converted the cooking time from slow cooker to oven.  To do this, take the slow cooker time and divide by 4 to get your cooking time for a conventional oven.  (For example, if the slow cooker time is 8 hours, the cooking time in a conventional oven would be about 2 hours or less.)  I didn't specifically time my chicken but I think it was done in about an hour and a half. 

Final Thoughts: This recipe is definitely going into my list of repeats. I really, really liked it and it sure beats the heck out of the fried, grilled and baked routine. The reduction of the red wine, chicken broth and tomato paste mixture gives it a rich or robust flavor and it smells so awesome when it’s cooking.  I served mine with rice but next time, I think I’ll do mashed potatoes instead. Also, the recipe does not mention the use of salt at all but it will definitely need some so make sure to season according to your taste.  

Ingredients:

8 ounces mushrooms, halved
1 cup frozen pearl onions

1/2 cup chicken broth

1/4 cup dry red wine
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 bay leaf
4 small chicken leg quarters or thighs
1/4 cup chicken broth
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
 
Directions:

1. In a 5-1/2- or 6-quart slow cooker, combine mushrooms and pearl onions. Stir in the 1/2 cup broth, the wine, tomato paste, garlic salt, rosemary, thyme, pepper, and bay leaf. Add chicken legs to cooker.

2. Cover and cook on low-heat setting for 7 to 8 hours or on high-heat setting for 3-1/2 to 4 hours.

3. Using a slotted spoon, transfer chicken and vegetables to a serving platter. Discard bay leaf. Cover chicken and vegetables and keep warm.

4. For sauce: Skim fat from cooking liquid. Measure 2 cups of the cooking liquid, adding additional chicken broth, if necessary, to equal 2 cups total liquid. Transfer liquid to a medium saucepan. In a small bowl, stir the 1/4 cup broth into the flour; stir into liquid in saucepan. Cook and stir until thickened and bubbly; cook and stir for 1 minute more. Spoon some of the sauce over chicken. Pass remaining sauce. If desired, serve with mashed potatoes and garnish with parsley. Makes 4 servings.

Nutrition facts:

Calories: 304 Total Fat (g) 9, Saturated Fat (g) 2, Cholesterol (mg) 159, Sodium (mg) 548, Carbohydrate (g) 9, Fiber (g) 1, Protein (g) 43, Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet

Reviews (3):

starsearcher199 wrote:

I made this once with butter rolls stuffing and greens i also used a Madeira wine and it blew my family away we this is our number 1 dish.
12/7/2010 09:31:48 PM 

rsw264 wrote:

I have made this several times. It's easy and it's very good. I have made some additions to it...I add baby carrots and fresh green beans the last hour and a half or two of cooking. Serve over mashed potatoes. It really is very good.
11/9/2010 05:28:03 AM

msctgal wrote:

I have made this recipe twice in the last month its very delicious and easy to make. I have served it over potatoes and grits. Both ways are great. I only add side dish of green beans or dark leafy greens. This recipe is worth trying.
3/30/2010 03:12:26 PM