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