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Quick Chicken in Wine: An Elizabeth Baird Household Standby

Quick Chicken in Wine

This recipe has been a standby in the Baird household for almost 50 years inspired by Great Dishes of the World by Robert Carrier, a gift from George to Elizabeth shortly after the couple moved to England in 1964.
Course Main
Cuisine Canadian
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Servings 4
Author Elizabeth Baird inspired by Robert Carrier

Ingredients

  • 3 lb or 1.5 kg air-chilled chicken thighs (i used one whole chicken)
  • Salt and freshly ground pepper
  • 1 tbsp or 15 ml olive oil
  • 4 slices bacon , diced
  • 1 onion , diced
  • 2 cups or 500 ml sliced mushrooms
  • 1 large clove garlic , sliced
  • 2/3 cup or 150 ml white or red wine , or low sodium chicken broth with a splash of wine vinegar
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1/2 tsp or 2 ml dried thyme
  • 2 whole cloves , optional
  • 1 tbsp or 15 ml butter
  • 1 tbsp or 15 ml all-purpose flour
  • Chopped fresh parsley

Instructions

  1. Trim excess fat and skin from chicken thighs; pat dry.
  2. Season with salt and pepper.
  3. Heat oil in shallow Dutch oven or high-sided skillet over medium-high heat; brown chicken on both sides.
  4. Transfer to plate and drain off fat.
  5. Fry bacon in pan until almost crisp; add onion, mushrooms and garlic.
  6. Fry until mushroom juices have evaporated, about 8 minutes.
  7. Stir in the wine, bay leaf, thyme and cloves, if using, scraping up any brown bits still in the bottom of the pan.
  8. Return the chicken to the pan, turning to coat it on all sides with the onion mixture. Cover the pan and bring the liquid to a simmer.
  9. Reduce heat and simmer until chicken is tender, about 20 to 30 minutes.
  10. Transfer the chicken to a warm platter.
  11. Blend together the butter and flour; gradually mix into the liquid in the pan.
  12. Simmer, stirring, until liquid thickens evenly.
  13. Taste and adjust seasoning. Pour over the chicken and garnish with parsley.

Recipe Notes

Elizabeth usually removes all the chicken skin before browning.
Note from Elizabeth:
When George and I lived in England (1964 to 1967) Great Dishes of the World by Robert Carrier had just been published, and I received a copy from George. I made many dishes from the book – the daube of beef, choucroute garnie, osso bucco, cheese souffle and more – mostly for entertaining. But there was one dish Carrier called Quick Chicken in Wine that has been a standby for almost 50 years. You really don’t need a recipe for this simple chicken stew, but here is how I make it now, sometimes with wine if there’s some left in a bottle, or with broth when there isn’t. Bacon is nice for its smokiness, but not necessary.