My CSA share this week came with the most beautiful carrots. I am not the biggest fan of carrots but I don’t mind them mixed into a dish. These were too pretty to not use! Cooking Light had a recipe in its latest issue that sounded really intriguing: Champagne-Browned Butter Chicken. The dish is pretty simple to make, although it takes a good hour and a half so this is not a weeknight meal. But the presentation is definitely snazzy enough for company!
Ingredients (serves 2 heartily, or up to 4):
- 2 slices center-cut bacon
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 bone-in chicken thighs
- 2 bone-in chicken drumsticks
- 1 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt, divided
- 3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
- 2 tablespoons canola oil, divided
- 1/3 pound potatoes, cut into equal pieces
- 1/2 poundbaby bella mushrooms, halved
- 1/4 cup brandy
- 2 shallots, halved
- 3/4 cup no-salt-added chicken broth
- 1 tablespoon black peppercorns
- 3 thyme sprigs
- 1 bay leaf
- 1/2 bunch fresh flat-leaf parsley
- 6 baby carrots with tops
- 1 cup Champagne
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 1 teaspoon all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
- 2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
Preheat your oven to 300 degrees. Cook the bacon in a Dutch oven over medium heat until crisp; remove bacon from pan, reserving drippings in pan. Reserve bacon for another use. (that last sentence is a direct quote from the recipe. Not gonna lie, I snacked on them. You can also crumble them and add them at the end if you’re feeling fancy).
Place 1/2 cup flour in a shallow dish. Sprinkle chicken evenly with 3/4 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Dredge chicken lightly in flour; shake off excess flour. Increase heat to medium-high. Add 1 tablespoon oil to drippings in pan; swirl to coat. Add half of chicken to pan; cook 5 minutes or until browned.
Turn chicken over; cook 2 minutes.
Remove from pan. Repeat procedure with remaining 1 tablespoon oil and chicken.
Add potatoes to the pot and cook 3 minutes or until browned, stirring occasionally. Add mushrooms; sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon salt.
Cook 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in brandy. Cook until liquid almost evaporates, about 30 seconds, stirring occasionally.
Return chicken to pan. Add shallots and stock; bring to a boil. Place peppercorns, thyme, bay leaf, and parsley on a double layer of cheesecloth.
Gather edges; tie with butcher’s twine.
Add bundle to pan.
Trim carrot tops to 1-inch; scrub carrots.
Add the carrots to pan. Bake for 1 hour at 300 degrees or until vegetables are tender and chicken is done.
Remove chicken and vegetables from pan; keep warm. Discard herb bundle. Place pan over medium-high heat. Add champagne to pan; bring to a boil, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Cook for about 11 minutes.
Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Cook butter 3 minutes or until lightly browned, shaking pan occasionally. Stir in 1 teaspoon flour; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly with a whisk.
Gradually add butter mixture to reduced wine mixture, stirring constantly with a whisk. Cook 1 minute or until slightly thick. Stir in remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Serve with chicken and vegetables. Garnish with chopped fresh parsley and thyme.
The carrots maintain their crispiness while the potatoes and mushrooms are oh so tender and have absorbed so much flavor. The chicken was cooked to perfection too. But the true stand out of this dish is the sauce. My goodness, I want this sauce on everything!
I had a really difficult time taking photos of this because of the smell wafting towards me. I kept picking at the mushrooms while photographing (shh).
This dish is really time consuming, but it still is a very approachable dish. Try cooking it on a weekend night, you won’t be disappointed!
