Go slow with hunter’s chicken
Chicken Chasseur is a slow-cooked French classic; try it out.
Slow cookers are popular this time of year, when roasts, chili, soups and casseroles stick to your ribs and chase away the cold weather.
But you also can go slow and low in your oven.
This one-pot Chicken Chasseur bubbles away for more than five hours at 225 degrees, or about 125 degrees lower than most recipes.
This classic French stew also known as hunter’s chicken mixes seared chicken with mushrooms, tomatoes, white wine and bacon lardons for added texture and richness.
I find the humongous size of grocery store chicken breasts kind of scary, so I cut up a small fryer.
If you don’t know how, look for a video on YouTube.
Serve the finished dish with rice, mashed potatoes, couscous or egg noodles.
CHICKEN CHASSEUR
1 2- to 4-pound chicken cut into
8 pieces
2 tablespoons combined salt and freshly ground black pepper
1⅓ cups all-purpose flour 2 tablespoons olive oil
2 slices bacon, cut into thin
strips
2 tablespoons unsalted butter,
room temperature
4 ounces button mushrooms,
sliced
2 shallots, sliced
½ cup white wine
2 cups chicken stock,
homemade or store-bought 1 tablespoon tomato paste 2 tomatoes, seeded and diced ½ cup finely chopped fresh flatleaf parsley
3½ tablespoons finely chopped
fresh thyme
Season chicken heavily on all sides with salt and pepper, then dredge front and back with flour. Shake off excess.
Preheat oven to 225 degrees. Meanwhile, heat Dutch oven over medium heat for 5 minutes, then add olive oil.
Add bacon and cook until it’s three-quarters cooked, about 5 minutes.
Remove bacon from pan and set aside.
Sear chicken on all sides in batches, 2 minutes per side. Try not to overcrowd pan.
On last batch, add 2 tablespoons butter.
Remove chicken from pot and add mushrooms and shallots. Cook 2-3 minutes, then add white wine and deglaze the pan, making sure to scrape the bottom.
Add chicken stock, tomato paste and tomatoes. Return bacon and chicken to pot.
Let it come to boil, remove from heat, cover and place in oven.
Cook for 5 hours 30 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through and internal temperature is 165 degrees.
Remove from oven and let settle for 15 minutes before serving.
Garnish with parsley and thyme.
Serves 4-6.
— “Low & Slow Cooking: 60 Hands-Off Recipes That Are Worth the Wait” by Robyn Almodovar (Page Street; January 2020; $22)