Chicken Fricassée with Morels

Ingredients

• 4 pieces (about 1.5 lbs) Chicken thighs, bone-in, skin-on
• 1 oz Dried morel mushrooms
• 3/4 cup Dry white wine
• 3/4 cup Heavy cream
• 1 cup Chicken stock
• 3 tbsp Unsalted butter
• 2 tbsp Shallots, minced
• 2 cloves Garlic, minced
• 2 tbsp All-purpose flour
• 4 sprigs Fresh thyme
• 1 leaf Bay leaf
• 1 tsp Lemon juice
• 1 tsp Salt
• 1/2 tsp Black pepper
• 2 tbsp Fresh parsley, chopped(optional)

Instructions

1. 1

   Place dried morels in a bowl of warm water and soak for 20 minutes. Reserve the soaking liquid, straining it through a paper towel to remove grit. Rinse morels, halve large ones, and pat dry.

2. 2

   Pat chicken thighs dry and season generously with salt and pepper. Melt 2 tbsp butter in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat and brown the chicken skin-side down, about 5 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate.

3. 3

   Reduce heat to medium, add remaining butter, and sauté shallots and garlic for 2 minutes until softened. Add morels and cook 3 minutes more.

4. 4

   Sprinkle flour over the vegetables and stir for 1 minute. Add the white wine, scraping up browned bits, then add the stock and strained morel soaking liquid. Bring to a simmer.

5. 5

   Return chicken to the pot skin-side up, add thyme and bay leaf, cover partially, and simmer gently for 30 minutes until chicken is cooked through and tender.

6. 6

   Stir in the heavy cream and lemon juice and simmer uncovered for 5-8 minutes until the sauce thickens enough to coat a spoon. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.

7. 7

   Discard thyme sprigs and bay leaf. Serve hot, spooning sauce and morels over the chicken and garnishing with parsley if desired.