Winner Winner Chicken Lunch
I couldn't think of a clever preamble to this recipe. I considered referencing Food, Inc. and the terror of chickens it instilled in me. Then, I considered a reference to the amazing Jacques Pépin, his apparent love of chicken, and the recently released Jacques Pépin: The Art of Craft from the American Masters series.But, you know what? This is simple food. Let's give it a simple post. Fuck it.
Pan-Fried Chicken Thigh on Mushrooms à la Crème
Ingredients
- 1 chicken thigh, skin and bone intact
- 1 cup white mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
- 1 Tbsp., crème fraîche
- 1 tsp., freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1 tsp., fresh thyme leaves
- .5 tsp., fresh lemon zest
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 175 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Prepare your chicken thigh. Place the thigh, skin-side down on a cutting surface. With a knife, cut slits along either side of the thigh bone. This will help the meat cook more evenly/quickly by exposing more of its surface to heat.
- Season the thigh on both sides with salt and pepper.
- Place the thigh skin-side down in an unheated nonstick pan, then turn the heat to high. Do not add heat until the meat is in the pan!
- When you hear the thigh begin to sizzle, reduce the heat to medium, cover the pan, and continue cooking for about 15-18 minutes.
- Check your meat. Make sure it's not sticking to the pan. If the skin's browning too quickly, reduce the heat to low, recover, and continue to cook.
- Once cooked, transfer the chicken to a heat-safe dish and pop it into your preheated oven to keep warm while you cook the mushrooms.
- On the stove, turn the heat up to high and add mushrooms to the pan, sautéeing in the rendered chicken fat. Season with salt and pepper.
- Once mushrooms are tender, stir in crème fraîche, lemon juice, and lemon zest until mushrooms are well coated and the mixture is heated through.
- Before plating, sprinkle mushrooms with some fresh thyme and top with your chicken thigh.
- Nom away!
Nutritional Info
Pan-Fried Chicken Thigh (about 4oz):
- Calories: 260
- Fat: 16g
- Protein: 28g
- Carbs: 0g
- Dietary Fiber: 0g
Mushrooms à la Crème:
- Calories: 185
- Fat: 18g
- Protein: 2g
- Carbs: 4g
- Dietary Fiber: 1g
Notes
- How can you tell the chicken is cooked? If you have a meat thermometer, look for an internal temperature of 165°F. Otherwise, you can generally tell that the meat is cooked when its juices run clear, rather than red (tinged with blood).
- You can definitely cook more than one chicken thigh at once. I'm just using the one here because 1) my fiancé is a vegetarian and particularly hates even the smell of chicken and 2) the best part about this dish is the crispy skin! I prefer to cook only what I'll eat immediately, so the skin remains crisp, as opposed to soggy after storing and reheating.
- Our friend Deb just suggested using a metal colander to cover the chicken while it's cooking on the stove. This will allow some of the moisture to dissipate, preventing soggy skin!
Ooh, how about some pics?
Enjoy!