French-style Braised Chicken with Leek and Mushroom - Poulet a l'etoufee aux poireaux et aux champignons

French cooking doesn't need to be fancy, it can be quite simple, with the subtle flavours being achieved by layering the ingredients in one pot.

Cooking this entire French dish in one stove top pan is an easy way to cook, saving time and effort, and it is also incredibly delicious. This is one of my favourite dishes now, however as Nigella Lawson says at times, it comes with a warning: "it isn't as easy on the eye as on the palate; this is a dish made for pleasure not a photo-op." Lots of finely chopped green herbs will make it prettier though.  By using "fines herbes" such as tarragon, chives, chervil and parsley, the beautiful flavours come through. I used tarragon in this dish giving it a very distinct  flavour. Tarragon is easy to grow in your own garden, and with it's delicate yellow flowers, also adds a cottage garden feel to your patch. I couldn't be without tarragon growing at home.

Cooking notes:

• For the wine I recommend you use a crisp dry white wine such as Pinot Gris, Pinot Grigio, or Sauvignon Blanc. A dry Riesling will also compliment the dish beautifully to cook with, and to drink while you are eating. There are so many delicious Australian Rieslings available.
• It is essential to leave the fat on the meat. The fat from the skin will render into the pan, and will act as a base for the sauce. It will significantly add to the layers of flavour in the dish that I spoke about earlier. The skin can be removed later on your plate if you wish, but I don't.
• You can make this dish even richer in flavour if you aren't watching calories, by frying the chicken to start with in 2 tablespoons of butter and 2 tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil for an authentic French cooking experience. However it is still delicious the way I have presented the recipe using spray on olive oil.
• Shallots can be substituted for the leeks
• The squeeze of lemon juice at the end gives it the finishing touch, please don't forget it.

I hope you enjoy this meal as much as we do. It makes a perfect weeknight dinner or a weekend lunch, and the leftovers continue to increase in flavour. I have developed this recipe from one I found in an Australian Coles supermarket recipe book.

Let's Cook:

Serves 6

Preparation time: 10 minutes

Cooking: 35 mins

Ingredients:

 6 Chicken Thigh Cutlets, or Chicken Legs, with bone in and skin on (I prefer the thighs)

1 leek, thickly sliced, pale section only

200 g brown mushrooms, halved

2 bacon rashers, fat removed, and chopped or use pancetta as a substitute

1 tablespoon French Dijon Mustard

1/2 cup (125 ml) chicken stock,

1/2 cup (125 ml) dry white wine 

1/2 cup (125 ml)  cream, pouring or thickened

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1 clove finely chopped garlic

1 tablespoon coarsely chopped tarragon

Method:

Spray a casserole pan suitable for a stove top  with olive oil and heat the pan.

Season the chicken with salt and pepper and add to the pan, skin-side down.

Cook chicken pieces for 3 minutes on each side or until golden brown. Transfer them to a plate.

Now add the mushrooms, leek, garlic and bacon to the pan and cook, stirring for 5 minutes or until the leek is tender.

Add the French Dijon mustard and the stock and stir through to combine.  

Return the chicken to the pan with the juices. 

Reduce the heat to medium low. Slowly cook, stirring occasionally, for 20 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through and the sauce thickens slightly. 

Stir in the lemon juice and the tarragon.

Serve with some mashed potato, steamed green vegetables such as beans or broccoli or whatever you have on hand, and a few fresh tarragon leaves on top of the dish or a sprinkle of finely chopped parsley. However pasta and rice also work well as the carbohydrate on the side of the plate, still with some green vegetables of course.

Waiting for more chopped herbs to be added

I baked a hi-top sourdough loaf to mop up some of the delicious juices as well.

I am in a French frame of mind at present, as our son Matthew and his lovely family, partner Myrtille and our grandchildren fly to France in the morning, leaving the Falkland Islands after working there for 2 years. They will be living and working in Montpelier for 12 months. Myrtille is French, so her family will be looking forward to her coming home. I asked Myrtille across Whatsapp, to translate the name of this dish for me into French as my Grade 12 French might just have been a little bit lacking. Once the children are asleep tonight, they need to go indivdually and have a Covid test at the hospital in Stanley, before they can board the plane in the morning, even though they are both vaccinated. This is the type of procedure we will all need to get used to. For now though, Mr. HRK and I are happy to live the simple life, enjoying the things we do at home, and the company of friends, and hoping that one day it will be safe for us to travel again. France is first on my list, how about you? We have our second Covid vaccination in mid-August. 

Are you watching the Tokyo Olympic Games on the TV? We are loving it, especially the swimming yesterday, and hoping for Gold again today. It's nice to see some views from around Tokyo as well.

Thanks for dropping by, and we hope you are well. I would love to hear from you.

Warm wishes and bon appetit,

Pauline