CHICKEN FRICASSEE WITH PARSLEY ROOTS AND CHANTERELLE MUSHROOMS

CHICKEN FRICASSEE WITH PARSLEY ROOTS AND CHANTERELLE MUSHROOMS

This is a lovely French dish of tender bone-in chicken pieces braised in white wine, with the sauce reduced and finished with a classic liaison of egg yolks and crème fraîche. I like to cut up the chicken in the traditional French manner, separating it into eight pieces: two thighs, two legs, and each breast half cut in half crosswise and with the wing attached to the upper portion. The wing tips are always removed, leaving just the two wing joints attached. You can begin by buying a cut up chicken, but it is more economical to buy the whole bird. An added bonus is to use the neck, wing tips, giblets, and back to make a small batch of homemade chicken stock.

SERVES 6 TO 8

1 whole chicken, preferably natural or organic free-range, 3½ to 4 lb/1.6 to 1.8 kg, cut into 8 serving pieces without the back and wing tips (see headnote)

Kosher or fine sea salt

Freshly ground pepper

½ cup/115 g unsalted butter, plus 2 tbsp

3 medium leeks, 1 lb/455 g, white and light green part only, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced cross­wise into half-moons

¼ cup/30 g all-purpose flour

4 fresh flat-leaf parsley sprigs, folded into a bundle and tied with kitchen twine

1 large garlic clove, smashed with the side of a chef’s knife

One 750-ml bottle crisp dry white wine

½ cup/120 ml homemade chicken stock or canned low-sodium chicken broth

1 tbsp granulated sugar

2 lb/910 g parsley root, trimmed, peeled, and cut into pieces about 1½ in/4 cm long by ½ in/12 cm wide and thick
12 oz/340 g chanterelle mushrooms, ends trimmed and cut into large pieces (see Cook’s Note)
¼ cup/15 g coarsely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
3 egg yolks
½ cup/120 ml crème fraîche or heavy whipping cream

1 Arrange the chicken pieces in a single layer on a large plate or baking sheet and season generously on both sides with salt and pepper. Set aside.

2 In a 12-in/30.5-cm shallow braising pan with a tight-fitting lid, melt the ½ cup/115 g butter over medium-low heat. Add the leeks and sauté, stirring constantly, for 1 minute. Cover the pan and cook the leeks until meltingly soft, about 5 minutes. Uncover and, using tongs, add the chicken, skin-side down, in a single layer. Increase the heat to medium and cook the chicken on all sides until the skin turns opaque and the flesh is no longer pink, about 10 minutes total. (You don’t want to brown the chicken; instead, you want to remove the rawness from the flesh and skin.) When the chicken is cooked on all sides, stir the flour into the fat in the pan and cook for 2 minutes longer. Tuck the parsley bundle and the garlic clove in the pan. Add the wine, stock, and sugar and bring to a simmer. Cover the pan tightly and cook, adjusting the heat so the liquid barely simmers, until the chicken is partially cooked, about 30 minutes.

3 Using a large spoon or tongs, add the parsley root to the pan, nudging the pieces into the liquid and between the chicken pieces. Make sure they are covered with liquid and can braise evenly. Cover the pan and continue to cook until the parsley root is fork-tender and the chicken is cooked through, 15 to 20 minutes longer.

4 Meanwhile, in a medium frying pan, melt the remaining 2 tbsp butter over medium heat and swirl to coat the pan bottom. Add the mushrooms and sauté until tender but not mushy, about 5 minutes. Add half of the chopped parsley, toss to combine, and sauté for 1 minute longer. Remove from the heat and keep warm.

5 In a small bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and crème fraîche. Set aside until ready to use.

6 When the chicken is done, use a large slotted spoon to transfer the chicken and the parsley root to a warmed serving platter that is deep enough to contain the sauce. Cover with aluminum foil and keep warm. Discard the garlic and parsley bundle. Turn the heat to high and boil the liquid in the pan until reduced to about 2 cups/480 ml, about 7 to 10 minutes. Reduce the heat to low. Spoon some of the hot braising liquid into the egg yolk mixture, stir well, and then quickly stir the whole mixture into the sauce in the pan. Heat the sauce through, stirring constantly, until thickened, about 2 minutes. Do not allow to boil.

7 Spoon the sauce over the chicken and then spoon the sautéed mushrooms over the top. Garnish with the remaining parsley and serve immediately.

COOK’S NOTE

I love the color contrast of the golden chanterelle mushrooms against the creamy blonde sauce cloaking the chicken, but it isn’t always possible to find chanterelles. This dish will work equally well with other wild mushrooms, such as lobster or hen-of-the-woods, or even with shiitakes.

Footnote:
The above recipe is reproduced from the stunning, award-winning ROOTS - The Definitive Compendium with more than 225 recipes which I am delighted to own and is a must for all vegetable lovers.

Published by Chronicle Books and distributed in NZ by Book Reps- $69.99