Chicken in Chanterelle Mushroom and Garlic Stew

This recipe is actually a version of coq au yin: chicken in wine sauce with mushrooms. Instead of using white field mushrooms, I use chanterelles, which lend the dish a unique flavor and texture, as does the addition of potatoes. There is always a special place in my heart for potatoes cooked in a hearty sauce: they remind me of pot roasts my mother made, simmering all day on the stove until the potatoes almost fell apart because they were so deliciously loaded with the sauce.
We use chicken from Pollo Real here in New Mexico (see page 220). This recipe can be made a day ahead and brought up to serving temperature over low heat.

Servings: 4

4 skinless, bone-in chicken breasts halves, with frenched wing attached*
Kosher salt
Freshly cracked black pepper
1 cup all-purpose flour
Canola oil, for sauteing
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 slices smoked bacon, finely diced
2 pounds fresh chanterelle mushrooms, trimmed and sliced in half
1/4 cup sliced shallot
12 cloves garlic, cut in half lengthwise
2 tablespoons tomato paste
3 cups dry red wine
4 bay leaves
2 sprigs rosemary
2 tablespoons minced fresh chives
12 cups brown chicken stock**
20 potatoes, tourneed***
White truffle oil, for drizzling
Fleur de sel

1. Season the chicken breasts with salt and cracked pepper. Place the flour in a shallow bowl, and dredge the breasts in the flour.
   Heat a large sautoir, or high-walled skillet, over medium-high heat. Cover the bottom of the pan with a thin layer of canola oil.

2. When the oil is hot, sauté the floured chicken breasts, turning once, for about 2 minutes per side, until browned. Transfer to a plate. Place the butter, bacon, mushrooms, shallot, and garlic in the skillet and sauté over medium heat for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently, until they begin to brown.

3. Add the tomato paste and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes, until the tomato paste begins to brown. Decrease the heat to medium-low. Add the red wine, bay leaves, rosemary sprigs, and chives. Simmer for 20 minutes, until the wine is reduced by half.

4. Place a large saucepan over medium heat. Pour in the chicken stock and bring to a simmer. Simmer for about 30 minutes, or until the stock is reduced by half. Remove from the heat. Add the stock, chicken breasts, and potatoes to the stew and cover. Decrease the heat to medium-low and cook for about 30 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender and the chicken is fully cooked.

5. Serve in the sautoir, family style, with a generous drizzle of truffle oil and a few pinches of fleur de sel over the top.

* Frenching:

• Pork chops, chicken wings, pheasant breasts, may be frenched by trimming the meat away from the bone, leaving the bone clean and exposed.

** Brown Chicken Stock:

6 pounds chicken bones and feet
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1/4 cup canola oil
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 cup peeled diced carrots
2 cups diced yellow onion
5 quarts water (filtered is best)
1 cup diced leek
16 black peppercorns
1 bay leaf

1. Preheat the oven to 400F.

2. Place the bones and feet in a colander and rinse under cold running water. Remove any organ meat, such as livers and hearts, which would cloud the stock. Transfer the bones to a baking pan, and sprinkle with the salt and drizzle with the oil.
   Place in the oven and roast for 30 minutes, until the bones are golden brown. Remove from the oven and dollop the tomato paste over the bones. Arrange the carrots and onions over the top. Place the bones and vegetables (mirepoix) back in the oven for 15 more minutes, until they begin to caramelize. Remove from the oven and let cool.

3. Transfer the roasted bones and mirepoix to a large pot. Cover with water to at least 2 inches over the bones. Add the leeks, peppercorns, and bay leaf. Place the pot over medium-high heat and bring to a simmer. Decrease the heat to medium-low. Frequently skim off any foam and excess fat that rises to the surface. Simmer for 11/2 hours. Remove from the heat. Carefully strain through a fine chinois into a bowl. Place over a larger bowl filled with ice water to lower the temperature quickly.

4. Transfer the finished stock to an airtight storage container and refrigerate or freeze. This will keep for 1 week refrigerated and for up to 1 month if frozen.

*** Tourneed Vegetables:

• Peel the vegetables, and cut large round or oval vegetables, such as beets and potatoes, into quarters, sixths and eighths, to form pieces slightly larger than 2 inches. Cut cylindrical vegetables, such as carrots, into 2 inch pieces.

• Using a sharp paring knife, carve the pieces into barrel or football shapes, with either 5 or 7 smooth, evenly spaced faces, tapered so that both ends are narrower than the center.