Email to A1_Suzy      

Recipe Categories: suzyjune's HOME PAGEAPPETIZERS BARCOOKIES BASICMIXESSEASONINGS BBQ BEEF BEVERAGES BISCUITSROLLS BREAD BREADMACHINE BREAKFAST BROWNIES CAKES CANDY CanningPreserving CASSEROLES CHEESEBALLS CHEESECAKES CHICKEN COFFEECAKES COOKIES CORNBREAD CROCKPOT DESSERTS DIABETIC DIPS Entertaining Equivalents ETHNIC Ethnic-Mexican FISHandSEAFOOD FrostingsandIcings ICECREAM Information JAMSandJELLIES MICROWAVE MUFFINS PASTA PASTRIES PIES PORK POULTRY SALADandDRESSING SALADS--SWEET SANDWICHES SAUCES SOUPSandSTEWS SWEETBREADS TartsTartlets VEGETABLES

Rustic Chicken with Mushrooms & Gruyere




Source of Recipe


The Best of Fine Cooking: Comfort Food


Recipe Introduction


This dish is wonderful for entertaining because the chicken can be made ahead of time and reheats beautifully. It has deep, vivid flavors, and the earthy polenta makes a satisfying partner for the savory sauce. This dish is
particularly good when made with legs and thighs, as the
meat gets very tender and you don't have to worry about it
drying out.



List of Ingredients




For the Chicken:
salt
freshly-ground black pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil -- more as needed
8 Chicken Pieces -- 3 to 4 lbs total, or one 3 1/2 lb chicken, cut into 8 pieces
1 cup Yellow Onion -- sliced
2 cloves garlic -- minced
1 1/2 cups Mushrooms -- portabella, sliced
1/3 cup dry white wine
1 1/2 cups Diced Tomatoes -- canned, with juice
1/2 cup Nonfat Chicken Broth
1/4 cup kalamata olive -- pitted and halved
2 teaspoons Fresh Thyme Leaves -- chopped
For the polenta:
1 tablespoon Unsalted Butter
4 cups water
1 cup Cornmeal -- medium ground
1 tablespoon Fresh Thyme -- chopped
1 1/2 cups Gruyere Cheese -- grated

Recipe



To make the chicken: Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until hot but not smoking. Cook the chicken pieces, skin side down, in batches, until browned on all sides, 3 to 4 minutes per side, adding more oil if necessary. Transfer the chicken to a plate as it's browned.

Reduce the heat to medium, add the onions, and saute, stirring,, until translucent, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, another 2 minutes. If the pan is dry, add 1 tablespoon oil. Add the mushrooms and cook until they release their juices and begin to brown, about 5 minutes. Add 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Add the wine and scrape up any browned bits in the pan. Return the chicken pieces to the pan (they should just fit in snugly) and simmer until the wine is reduced by half, about 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes, broth, olives, and 1 teaspoon of the thyme. Reduce the heat and simmer the chicken, turning occasionally, until it's completely cooked and very tender, 30 to 40 minutes. Meanwhile, make the polenta while the chicken is cooking.

Serve the chicken over the polenta, with some of the sauce and the remaining thyme sprinkled on top.

To make the polenta: In a medium saucepan, bring the butter, water and salt to a boil over medium-high heat. Slowly add the cornmeal, whisking until smooth. Reduce the heat to a simmer and continue to cook, whisking or frequently stirring with a wooden spoon until the mixture is thick, about 30 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the thyme and Gruyere. (If the polenta is done before the chicken, cover with foil and stir occasionally to keep a crust from forming.)

Serves 8