Classic French Hunters Chicken (Printable Version)
Tender chicken braised in tomato, mushroom and white wine sauce with fresh thyme and parsley.
# What You Need:
→ Meats
01 - 4 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
02 - 4 bone-in, skin-on chicken drumsticks
→ Vegetables
03 - 1 large onion, finely chopped
04 - 2 garlic cloves, minced
05 - 9 oz white mushrooms, sliced
06 - 14 oz canned diced tomatoes
07 - 2 tablespoons tomato purée
→ Liquids
08 - 2/3 cup dry white wine
09 - 3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon chicken stock
10 - 2 tablespoons olive oil
11 - 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
→ Herbs & Seasonings
12 - 2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves (or 1 teaspoon dried)
13 - 2 bay leaves
14 - 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
15 - Salt and black pepper, to taste
# How To Make:
01 - Pat the chicken thighs and drumsticks dry with paper towels. Season both sides generously with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
02 - Heat olive oil and butter in a large sauté pan or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Once the fat is shimmering, place the chicken skin-side down and sear until deeply golden brown, about 5 minutes per side. Transfer the chicken to a plate and set aside.
03 - In the same pan with the rendered drippings, sauté the chopped onion for 3 to 4 minutes until soft and translucent. Add the minced garlic and sliced mushrooms, cooking until the mushrooms have released their moisture and are lightly browned.
04 - Stir in the tomato purée and cook for 1 minute to deepen its flavor. Pour in the dry white wine, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Let the wine simmer for 2 minutes to cook off the alcohol.
05 - Add the diced tomatoes, chicken stock, thyme, and bay leaves. Nestle the seared chicken pieces back into the pan, skin-side up. Bring the liquid to a gentle simmer.
06 - Cover the pan with a tight-fitting lid and reduce the heat to low. Cook for 30 minutes, allowing the chicken to braise and absorb the flavors of the sauce.
07 - Remove the lid and continue simmering uncovered for 10 to 15 minutes, until the sauce has thickened to a rich consistency and the chicken is cooked through to an internal temperature of 165°F.
08 - Discard the bay leaves. Transfer the chicken to warmed plates, spoon the sauce generously over each piece, and garnish with freshly chopped parsley before serving.
# Expert Advice:
01 -
- The sauce builds entirely in one pan, so every caramelized bit on the bottom becomes part of the flavor.
- It tastes like something that took all day but only asks for about twenty minutes of real work.
- Leftovers the next day are somehow even better when the sauce has soaked into everything overnight.
02 -
- Do not rush the sear on the chicken because that golden crust is the foundation of the entire sauce.
- If the sauce still looks thin after the uncovered simmer, just let it go five more minutes and it will come together.
- A splash of cognac or a spoonful of creme fraiche stirred in at the very end turns this from a Tuesday dinner into something worthy of guests.
03 -
- Crowding the pan during the sear is the biggest mistake you can make, so cook the chicken in two batches if your pan is not wide enough to hold all eight pieces with space between them.
- Letting the tomato puree cook alone for that one minute before deglazing tames its raw acidity and gives the finished sauce a roundness you cannot achieve any other way.