Chicken Fricassee with Morels and Thyme

Its morel mushroom season again! Hip hip hooray!! I was looking for new recipes for our haul of mushrooms this year and came up with this good one. 

Of course, we still made several of Morel Asparagus and Goat Cheese Tarts because that tart is probably the best recipe ever for these mushrooms, but we were pleasantly surprised with this Fricassee. And I'll keep this in my back pocket for future morel seasons to come!


Another great option for morels is the Springtime Quiche, but we seemed to skip this quiche this spring. Maybe we'll come back to it next year. The Springtime Quiche is a good option when you have only a few morels to cook with, as it only uses 6 or 8 mushrooms. 

Fresh morels!

Serves 4
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 45 minutes
Adapted from Williams-Sonoma
http://www.williams-sonoma.com/recipe/chicken-fricassee-with-morel-mushrooms-and-thyme.html


Ingredients:
3/4 lb. fresh morel mushrooms, each halved lengthwise
1 chicken, about 3 1/2 lb.
1 1/2 tsp. kosher salt, plus more, to taste
1/2 tsp. freshly ground pepper, plus more, to taste
1 Tbs. sunflower oil
4 Tbs. butter
1/2 red onion, minced
1 1/2 Tbs. all-purpose flour
3/4 cup dry white wine
1 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
4 fresh thyme sprigs (dried works fine too)
1/2 cup crème fraîche
1 Tbs. minced fresh chives






Directions:
1. Cut the chicken into 9 pieces, then season with the 1 1/2 tsp. salt and the 1/2 tsp. pepper.

Don't crowd the mushrooms!
Cook in two batches if necessary. 

2. In a Dutch oven over medium-high heat, warm the oil until very hot but not smoking. Working in batches, add the chicken pieces, skin side down, and cook, turning once or twice, until lightly browned on both sides, about 5 minutes per batch. Transfer to a platter.

3. Reduce the heat to medium and melt 2 Tbs. of the butter. Add half of the mushrooms and sauté until they give off their juices, the juices evaporate and the mushrooms are sizzling, about 6 minutes. During the last 2 minutes or so, stir in half of the onions. Transfer to a plate. Repeat with the remaining butter, morels and onions.

4. Reduce the heat to medium-low and return the morel mixture to the pot. Sprinkle with the flour and mix well. Stir in the wine and broth and bring to a simmer. Add the thyme. Return the drumsticks, thighs and wings and then the breasts to the pot. Cover and simmer, stirring the sauce and turning the chicken occasionally, until the chicken reaches 170F, 10 to 15 minutes.

5. Transfer the chicken to a warmed deep serving dish and cover loosely with aluminum foil. Discard the thyme sprigs. Stir the crème fraîche into the pot, increase the heat to medium-high and bring to a boil. Cook, stirring often, until the sauce is thickened, about 5 minutes. Adjust the seasonings with salt and pepper. Pour the sauce over the chicken, sprinkle with the chives and serve immediately.

Serve....

And Enjoy!