Crusty Chicken Thighs in Mushroom Sauce

They say never to apologize for your cooking, and unless someone dies from hysterical tastebud euphoria or E. coli, I never will.  In fact, the first time I tried this, I ruined the sauce so badly that I had to improvise into a cream sauce, which became delightfully unapologetic.  And okay, this recipe is staggeringly similar to that accidental recipe, crispy chicken thighs in a mushroom cream sauce, which I won't usually repost.  But since it took me three tries to get this right, I'd like to post the recipe and process that inspired this whole adventure, given that it is actually delicious when done correctly.  Plus, this original recipe has no added fat or carbs, making it relatively healthy.  I'm still amazed by this style of cooking chicken - dry, with the lid on, yet yielding a crispy delicious skin that rivals the best hand-battered southern fried chicken.  Unreal.

Having made this now enough times to get the method sorted out, I will modify the original recipe slightly with double the chicken, so that you can serve twice the number of meals.  But you can't crowd the pots, so shoot for 4 thighs per cooking vessel unless you have the world's largest dutch oven.

Crusty Chicken Thighs with Mushroom Sauce
Shamelessly liberated from Fast Food My Way, by Jacques Pepin

• 8 large chicken thighs (~1.75 pounds total), skin on
• 2 tsp salt
• 2 tsp black pepper
• 1 cup diced (1/4”) onion
• 1.5 tbsp coarsely chopped garlic
• 3 cups washed and diced (1/2”) baby bella or white button mushrooms
• 1/3 cup dry white wine
• 1 tbsp chopped fresh chives, for garnish

Arrange the chicken thighs skin side down on a cutting board.  Using a sharp paring knife, trim off any excess skin at the edges and cut about ½” deep into the flesh on either side of the thigh bone – this will help the meat cook more quickly.  Sprinkle the thighs with ½ tsp each of the salt and pepper and arrange 4 of them, skin side down, in one layer in a cold, nonstick skillet with a tight-fitting lid.  Repeat with the remaining 4 thighs and a second skillet or dutch oven.

Be certain to cut down the sides of the thigh bone to promote quick cooking and avoid wasted heat loss to the core.  This promotes a crispy skin.

Here, I'm doubling the chicken in the recipe.  4 thighs per pot, but only 

Place the two skillets over high heat and when the thighs start sizzling, reduce the heat to medium, cover tightly, and cook for 16-18 minutes more, checking occasionally to make sure the chicken is browning properly.  Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 150 degrees F.  If the chicken seems to be cooking too fast after 10 minutes or so, reduce the heat to low.  The skin of the chicken should be very crisp and brown.  Be careful when you check the skin for two important reasons:

1. The oil and pan will be unbelievably hot, and if you're doing things right there might be some chicken drippings on top of the chicken that will drip down to the oil, causing violent oil popping that will burn you.  There is no way around this.
2. If you paw at the chicken too soon, you will rip the skin, which will then ruin your crispy delicious texture.  You will end up with bland chicken and skin that is burnt to the pan, which nobody wants.  Try to gently peel the chicken from the pan slowly, with a good hold on the skin underneath.

Transfer the chicken skin side up to an ovenproof platter and place it in the oven.

This is what you should end up with - perfectly crisped chicken skins, fat rendered out, with the meat cooked completely through.  Resist the urge to rub this on your gums immediately.

Another view of same.

Discard all but 2 tbsp fat from one of the skillets in which you cooked the chicken.  Add the onion, garlic, and mushrooms and sauté them over high heat for about 3 minutes. Sprinkle the remaining ¼ tsp salt and pepper on the mushrooms and then add the wine and any liquid that has accumulated around the thighs on the platter.  Cook the sauce over high heat for about 1 minute to reduce the liquid.

To serve, divide the sauce among four hot plates.  Place a thigh in the middle of the mushroom sauce on each plate, spoon some sauce over, sprinkle on the chives, and serve.