Braised Chicken Thighs with Mushrooms and Almonds

Filed under Poultry

Recipe courtesy Anne Burrell, 2008. Serve over sauteed haricots verts or your favorite green vegetable.

Ingredients

Directions

  1. Coat a large wide deep pan with olive oil over high heat. Pat the chicken skin dry and season generously with salt. Add skin side down (you should hear a big sizzle) and don't move it; the skin will release when it's ready. Brown the other side and reserve.
  2. Lower the heat and discard most of the fat. Brown the pancetta; when crispy, add the onions, season with salt and red pepper and sweat 7 to 8 minutes. Add the garlic for 1 to 2 minutes.
  3. Add the mushrooms, season with salt and saute 3 to 4 minutes, until they release their juices. Add the wine and reduce by half.
  4. Return the chicken, add stock to almost cover, and add the thyme and bay leaves. Bring to a boil, then simmer 30 to 35 minutes, adding stock if needed.
  5. Meanwhile, puree the almonds in a food processor, drizzling in a little olive oil to make a loose paste. Season with salt.
  6. Remove the chicken. Taste the sauce, stir in the almond puree (it thickens the sauce and makes it very rich) and simmer to thicken if needed. Spoon over the chicken and garnish with chives.