Dish of Chicken with Mushrooms
(click to enlarge)

Chicken with Mushrooms


Poland   -   Kurczak ȥ piecȥarkami

Makes:
Effort:
Sched:
DoAhead:  
3 #
***
1-1/2 hr
Short
Delicious! and it has plenty of sauce for serving with Rice or Mashed Potatoes. I have re-stepped the pattern recipe for my way of serving - see Comments.

1-1/2
8
12
1
1/4
1
3
1
1-1/2
1/2
1
-------
ar
-------
ar
ar

#
oz
oz
T
c
t
T
t
c
t
c
---

---

Chicken Meat (1)  
Mushrooms (2)
Onion
Butter
Flour
Salt
Butter
Paprika
Stock
Salt
Sour Cream
-- Garnish
Parsley
-- Serve with
Steamed Rice
  or Potatoes (3)

Prep   -   (17 min)
  1. Cut CHICKEN into serving size chunks.
  2. Cut MUSHROOMS stems flush with caps. Slice caps about 1/8 inch thick.
  3. Chop ONIONS small.
  4. Chop PARSLEY for Garnish.
Run   -   (1-1/4 hr)
  1. Heat 1 T BUTTER in a sauté pan and fry Mushrooms over moderate heat until they have given up most of their water, but there is still some in the pan. Set aside.
  2. Mix Flour and Salt. Tumble Chicken in it to coat lightly.
  3. In a spacious sauté pan (3-1/2 qts), heat 3 T Butter and fry Chicken, tumbling often, until lightly browned. Remove from the pan and set aside. Do this in two batches, adding 1 T of Butter between if needed. Be careful the fond adhering to the pan doesn't get too dark, it's part of the recipe.
  4. Add a little more Butter if needed and fry Onions just until translucent, again watching that the fond doesn't get too dark.
  5. Stir Chicken back in and sprinkle with Paprika. Stir in Mushrooms and Stock. Bring to a simmer and simmer tightly covered until Chicken is tender, about 40 minutes.
  6. Turn down heat to stop bubbling. Stir in Salt and Sour Cream until all lumps are gone. Turn heat back on and bring up until you see the first bubbles, then turn off and give it a final stir.
  7. Serve hot, garnished with Parsley and accompanied by Steamed Rice or Potatoes.
NOTES:
  1. Chicken:

      I always use Thigh Meat, as it has far better flavor and texture than the cardboard breast meat we get around here. The pattern recipe used a whole chicken cut up into serving pieces, but I find skinless, boneless meat much better for serving. I retain the flavor of whole chicken by making the stock with the skins, bones, fat and offcuts from the meat, then defat it using a gravy separator. This I usually do a day or more ahead.
  2. Mushrooms:

      Regular White Mushrooms work well here, but others can be used. Mushrooms are bulky and don't keep at all well, so I usually fry the mushroom right away. Sealed in plastic they'll keep several days in the fridge.
  3. Rice or Potatoes:

      I usually eat this with plain Steamed Jasmine Rice, but Smashed Potatoes would work well, and, since there's so much sauce, plain Mashed Potatoes would be fine too.
  4. Comments

      A great many Polish recipes are done in the oven. That way, they can be attractively presented at a "family style" table (European service). I very rarely serve that way, and try to avoid hot ovens here in sunny Southern California. I usually serve on a buffet, or at the table "Russian service" (restaurant style). For these reasons I have re-stepped the recipe. For oven, follow these steps:
    1. Preheat Oven to 325°F/165°C.
    2. Fry Mushrooms as above.
    3. Fry Chicken as above, and place in a coverable oven dish. Sprinkle Paprika over.
    4. Fry Onions as above. and pour over the Chicken.
    5. In the sauté pan, bring some of the Stock to a boil and scrape up all the fond adhering to the pan.
    6. Pour all Stock and 1/2 t Salt over the Chicken. Cover the pan tightly and place in the oven for about 45 minutes, or until the Chicken is tender.
    7. Scatter Mushrooms over the Chicken. Spoon Sour Cream over Mushrooms. Scatter Parsley over everything. Cover and place back in the Oven for 15 to 20 minutes.
  5. U.S. measure: t=teaspoon, T=Tablespoon, c=cup, qt=quart, oz=ounce, #=pound, cl=clove in=inch tt=to taste ar=as required
pmc_chkmrm1 201004 pcm112   -   www.clovegarden.com
©Andrew Grygus - agryg@clovegarden.com - Linking and non-commercial use permitted