When I get my hands on really special ingredients like morels I like to pair them with simple flavors so they're not overwhelmed. This dish is best served with something that can soak up all of the good sauce, like polenta, mashed potatoes, or just some good, crusty bread.
Ingredients
4 Chicken Thighs
1 Shallot, diced
2 Carrots, sliced
1 clove Garlic, minced
as many Morel Mushrooms as you can get your hands on, halved (*see notes)
¼ c, Dry White Wine
¾ c. Chicken Stock (homemade or low-sodium)
1 Tbsp. Fresh Thyme Leaves
1 Dried Bay Leaf
¼ c. Heavy Cream
4 large Sorrel Leaves (**see notes)
Olive Oil
Butter
Instructions
Pat the chicken dry and season with salt and pepper.
Heat about 1 Tbsp. olive oil in a wide skillet over medium-high heat. Place the chicken in the pan, skin-side down, until the skin is crisp and golden, 5-8 minutes. Flip the chicken and brown on the other side for about 5 minutes. Remove the chicken from the pan and set aside on a rimmed plate. Drain most of the fat from the pan.
Heat about 1 Tbsp. butter in the same pan. Add the shallot and carrot, lightly season with salt, and sauté until the shallot begins to soften, about 1 minute. Add the garlic and the mushrooms and sauté until the mushrooms release most of their moisture and start to brown, about 5 minutes. Add the white wine and boil until most of the liquid has been absorbed, about 2 minutes. Add the chicken stock, bring to a boil. Nestle the chicken back into the pan, skin-side up, along with the thyme and bay leaf and simmer until the chicken is cooked through and very tender, about 40 minutes. Add the cream and simmer until slightly thickened, about another 5 minutes.
Taste the sauce. Season as necessary with salt and pepper. Transfer to warm plates or a serving platter and scatter torn sorrel leaves over the top.
Notes
*I used about 1# of morels for this dish. I think you could use ½# and still get the flavor across. If morels are not available, use whatever mushrooms are available.
**If you can't find sorrel (and many times I cannot), just add a squeeze of lemon to the finished dish instead.
Recipe by strawberryplum at http://www.strawberryplum.com/salmon-with-morel-mushroom-brandy-cream-chicken-morel-mushroom-fricassee/