Description
Tender and succulent chicken surrounded in a silky white wine and thyme sauce.
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp coconut oil or avocado oil
- 1 onion (finely chopped)
- 1 shallot finely chopped
- 4 garlic cloves (rougly sliced)
- 8 chicken pieces on the bone
- 4 stems of thyme
- 1/4 cup of Calvados or apple brandy
- 2.5 cups Riesling (or semi sweet wine of your choice)
- salt & pepper to taste
- handful chopped parsley for garnish
- 8 oz or 1 cup cremini mushrooms (optional, quartered)
- 1 cup cream (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 250-degrees
- Heat up oil in a large pan over medium heat.
- Pat the chicken dry and season liberally with salt and pepper.
- Brown the chicken pieces all over and remove from the pan. Start with the skin side down and DO NOT TOUCH FOR 5 MINUTES. In order for a nice skin to form, you need to let it sear undisturbed. Turn to the other side and do the same.
- Remove the chicken and set aside.
- Add the onions, shallots, garlic and flour. Combine well so the flour coats the onions and shallots.
- Allow to sweat while covered until the onions are soft and translucent and very fragrant.
- Pour in the Calvados or apple brandy and scrape the bottom of the pan to lift up all the bits.
- Add the chicken back to the pan along with the wine.
- Allow to come up to a boil. Turn off the heat and cover. Place into the oven for 30-40 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through.
- (OPTIONAL) Once chicken comes out of the oven, place back on stove, bring up to a boil and add cream.
- Allow to cook for another 10 minutes.
- Add the chopped parsley and season to taste.
- IF you want to thicken the sauce a bit more at the end, combine a bit of flour with softened butter and add to sauce. It will add like a mini roux. This process is called beurre manier.
Notes
Now some options…
Making ahead of time: Like many other braises and stews it freezes incredibly well. I like to put it in the fridge once it’s done and then REMOVE THE FAT that has come to the top of the pot. You will have a cleaner and leaner sauce. Then I put it into the freezer and when I am ready to serve, I place it into the oven for 30-40 minutes at 350-degrees and it’s perfection.
Thickening: If you would like a thicker sauce, prior to serving, remove your chicken out of the pan and bring the liquid to a boil. In a separate bowl, combine a few tablespoons of softened butter and a few tablespoons of flour and mix well to form a paste. (This is called a beurre manier and is my favorite way to thicken a sauce.) Once the liquid is boiling, drop the beurre manier slowly into the liquid, piece by piece and whisk it in. Remember, it will only thicken if you allow it to come to a boil.
Leaning it out: If you would like it even leaner, ensure you skim the fat off the top as I stated above and do not eat the skin. Trust me the chicken will be delicious nonetheless.
Thickening and Making it Richer: If you like a richer sauce…remove the chicken from the pot, bring the pot to a boil and add in heavy whipping cream. This will also thicken your sauce.
- Category: One Pot Meal
- Cuisine: French