I don’t often share traditional, “homey” type meals like this chicken and mushroom stew, but sometimes, I just feel the need to make a family meal that hopefully everyone is going to love. Kids and adults alike. And something other than spaghetti Bolognese or lasagna Bolognese. These two meals have all too often frequented our dinner table!
Tender chicken with wine, mushrooms, garlic, and herbs. How good does that sound? Well, personally as much as I love this dish, it is bound to be a fail for some. As I discovered, not all teenagers love mushrooms. Yep, I guess I should have seen that coming. I, on the other hand, loved them as a kid and it’s almost embarrassing to say but my favorite ones for the small button mushrooms directly out of a can.
A chicken and mushroom stew with Italian roots
Nonetheless mushroom lover or not, this is a cozy, healthy, filling, and of all things… delicious dish. It’s simple, feel good kind of food. A classic, favorite autumn weather dinner that’s made in one big pot. It’s actually based on a traditional Italian dish called “chicken cacciatore” which is made with chicken braised in a tomato-based sauce, and quite often, wild mushrooms too. So I guess you could also call this an autumn hunter stew as the word cacciatore means “hunter” in Italian.
Autumn Chicken and Mushroom Stew
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves (preferably free-range organic)
- Flour for coating the chicken
- coarse sea salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
- 2 small yellow onions, halved and thinly sliced
- 2 shallots, sliced
- 3 large garlic cloves, minced
- 3/4 cup dry white wine (180 ml)
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 400 g can organic diced tomato
- 1/2 cup chicken broth (125 ml)
- 15 grams dried porcini mushrooms
- 2-3 thyme sprigs
- 1 bay leaf
- 400 g cremini mushrooms, quartered (halved if small)
- chopped flat-leaf parsley, for serving
Method
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In a large enameled cast-iron casserole (Dutch oven) melt the butter.
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Coat the chicken breasts with flour on both sides (you don’t need a lot, just enough to lightly coat them) and season with salt and pepper.
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Add the chicken to the casserole and cook over medium-high heat, until golden brown on both sides; about 2 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate and set aside.
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Reduce heat to medium, add the onion, shallots, garlic and a pinch of salt and pepper to the casserole and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes.
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Add the wine and tomato paste and simmer for 2 minutes. Then add the diced tomato, chicken broth, porcini, thyme, and bay leaf. Bring to a boil, then add the chicken. Reduce the heat to moderately low and cook, covered until nearly cooked, about 15-20 minutes.
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Remove the chicken breasts, cut into large cubes and transfer back to the casserole. Stir in the cremini mushrooms, and cook for 10-12 minutes.
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Transfer the chicken and mushroom stew to plates (discarding the thyme sprigs and bay leaf) and garnish with parsley. Serve an enjoy!
Notes
- This recipe is great served with a slice of your favorite crusty bread for lunch, a side of potatoes or even steamed green beans for dinner. You could even serve it up on top of spätzle for a hearty and filling meal. Enjoy leftovers gently reheated the next day.
- This chicken and mushroom stew recipe was adapted from a Food and Wine magazine clipping which I collected years ago. The original version uses chicken thighs instead of breasts and my version uses quite a few more mushrooms.
- If you choose to use legs and thighs for this recipe the cooking time for the chicken may need to be increased another 5-10 minutes. I’m not a fan of chicken on the bone, so I prefer to use chicken breasts, even though thighs are more flavorful.
- A mix of wild mushrooms is also a nice adaption to this recipe.
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