During a recent cleaning frenzy (there were mice – I don’t want to talk about it), I unearthed a jar of dried porcini mushrooms that got shoved to the back of my pantry. I also came across a jar of dried cherries during my epicurean archeological dig, and just like that, a recipe was born. Earthy porcini infuses the cooking liquid, and dried cherries add texture, as well as a sweet and tart bite. H/t mice.
Chicken with Porcini and Cherries
4 servings
2 cups chicken stock
1 oz. dried porcini mushrooms
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 small leek, trimmed and thinly sliced
4 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
¼ cup dried cherries
• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
• In a medium sauce pot, bring the chicken stock to a simmer over medium heat. Add the porcini mushrooms, cover and remove from heat.
• In a large oven-safe skillet, warm the oil over medium heat and saute the leeks 5 minutes, until soft and starting to brown. Sprinkle the chicken liberally with salt and pepper, the place skin side-down in the skillet. Sear 3 minutes, then flip and sear another 3 minutes. Slowly pour in the chicken stock and mushrooms, then add the cherries and simmer 3 minutes.
• Place the skillet in the oven and cook 5 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through. Serve, spooning the pan sauce over the chicken.
This article appears in December 2016.