Braised chicken and mushrooms in wine sauce for a fall evening #giveaway

 

This chicken is a variation of something I remember from my childhood, although I’m pretty sure it did not have shallots or wine!  The updated version has no garlic although usually we’re swimming in the stuff.  Instead we relied on shallots which give it a great flavor and aroma.  This week chicken thighs were on sale as were sliced mushrooms. No contest.  We love chicken thighs as they are meaty and juicy.


The results were  perfect for a cool fall night, maybe a few candles, a glass of wine and the fireplace on.  We had friends coming for dinner and made a big recipe, but you can make half. Like most of our recipes, you can add more or use less of any ingredient.  We are nothing if not flexible.

 

The chicken and sauce easy and inexpensive and it has a wonderful aroma. Plus it gets rid of that bottle of white wine that wasn’t quite finished after it was opened.   Or you could open a new bottle and serve the rest with dinner! 

INGREDIENTS

4 tbsp butter  (more as needed)

3 tbsp oil

16 chicken thighs

4  green onions, sliced – white and green

3 large  shallots - chopped

1 ½ to 2  tablespoons dried thyme  (it would be better with fresh but I was out of luck)

1 tsp Paprika

1 cup white wine

1 cup chicken stock

1 cup flour for dredging

2 tablespoons lemon juice

S & P

1 pound of brown mushrooms, sliced

DIRECTIONS

Sauté the mushrooms with the green onions in half the oil and butter  first and set them aside. I used two pans because there was a lot of chicken.

Add extra butter or oil if you need to.  While the mushrooms are cooking, dredge the chicken in batches in flour and S & P.  I use a zippered bag for dredging a few pieces at a time. It's so easy to clean up after.

 

Remove mushrooms, add the rest of the oil and butter and brown the chicken a few pieces at a time. Add oil and butter again as needed. Do not crowd.  (Sometimes I don’t have the patience but they’re not as nice if crowded). 

Add the shallots with second batch of chicken.

When browned, return the mushrooms and green onions. Add wine, stock, thyme and paprika.  Bring just to a boil, reduce to minimum. Cover and simmer for about 1 1/2 hours.  Add the lemon when you take the lid off.

Transfer to a platter and pour sauce over. The sauce is (if I do say so myself) AWESOME.

We served this with our fave spinach casserole and French lentil salad. Sometimes we team it with mashed potatoes or pureed cauliflower.

You may be used to us as Victoria Abbott, authors of the book collector mysteries,  but today,  it's Mary Jane Maffini, one half of the collaboration who's doing the talking.  I am letting you know about one of my books that is dear to my heart.  

Today is Remembrance Day here in Canada, a day that is somber and reflective as we think of the many lives lost or ruined by wars and we ponder the courage of those who served. In honor of the day,  I am offering a giveaway.  THE DEAD DON’T GET OUT MUCH is the fifth book in my Camilla MacPhee series and also my favorite and not just because it also includes a ‘trip’ to Italy.  It also tell the story of one veteran who is important in Camilla's life and in the series.

Add caption

 Camilla is a feisty lawyer who works as a victims’ advocate in Ottawa, Ontario. Justice is her thing and she never stops until she finds out what’s behind the latest crime in her area.  She may have the world's worst office assistant and a challenging family, but she soldiers on. The Dead Don’t Get Out Much begins at the Remembrance Day ceremonies near Parliament Hill. Mrs. Violet Parnell, a WWII veteran and excellent sidekick is taking part in an event after the ceremony when she gets a shock and claims to have seen a dead man.  Being Mrs. Parnell and pretty well unstoppable, she's soon on her way to Italy to get to the bottom of things. The action continues with Camilla in hot pursuit on an eventful and danger-packed trip to uncover some old secrets.  Mrs. Parnell is one of thousands of Canadian women who went overseas during the second world war, not in combat roles, but in supporting roles as truck drivers, pilots, nurses and other jobs. Of course, these were very dangerous. So many girls from small towns and farms had incredible and difficult experiences as well as adventures.  I hoped to convey something of those experiences in the book.  Plus for years, I had promised Mrs. P that her story would be told and this was her big chance.

Leave a comment saying why you’d like to read this book (Don’t forget to leave your EMAIL address) and your name will be in the draw. Good luck everyone! 

While we're at it here are the books in the Camilla MacPhee series. This series is very well priced now in e-books, but also available in print. 

I hope to connect with you on FACEBOOK. Click to link to Mary Jane Maffini

and click here to find Victoria Abbott. 


Get in on more fun with  our email newsletter.  All you need to do to get on the list is ask us
RIGHT HERE

We're both dying to meet you!

Romantic and rustic roast chicken

A scenic and nostalgic trip and recipe brought to you by Mary Jane Maffini, part of the Victoria Abbott team.

Roast chicken: romantic and rustic

When you look at great recipes, usually they are made up of ordinary ingredient, good quality and fresh, prepared well with spectacular results. This chicken reminded me and my husband of the dinners we shared in a tiny, perfect apartment we shared in the historic village of Anghiari, Tuscany, a few years back, when I was researching The Dead Don't Get Out Much, the fifth Camilla MacPhee mystery (yes, it contains a trip to Italy). We’d pick up the ingredients in the small shops around the piazza and carry them back up the steep and twisty medieval street to the apartment where we’d cook in a kitchen that was smaller than the typical desk. The meals were always terrific, in part because of the lovely herbs that grew on the little terrace by the door, in part because of the location and in part because of the vino that was served at every dinner. 

We were tickled to reproduce that flavor and feeling in freezing Manotick, Ontario, in the middle of winter. With the delicious meal, the simple setting, a candle, and an Italian red wine in stemless glasses, it felt like a mini-vacation. 

Here’s how we did it:

Half a loaf of rustic Italian bread cut in 1 thick slices, enough to provide a bed for the chicken
4 to 6 tablespoons olive oil, divided
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 chicken about 4 to 5 lb
½ to one whole garlic head (rub off outside papery skin and slice in half horizontally through all the cloves)
½ lemon
½ lime
Sprigs of fresh rosemary or two tsp dried
1/2 bunch fresh thyme, coarsely chopped 






Preheat oven to 400 F (205 C). 2. Place bread slices in centre of a metal roasting pan.







Drizzle 2 to 3 tbsp (30 to 45 mL) of the olive oil over bread and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
3. Season cavity of chicken with salt and pepper. Stuff cavity with prepared garlic head, lemon, lime, tarragon and thyme.







4. Rub outside of chicken with remaining olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
5. Place chicken, breast side up, on bread slices.















6. Roast chicken for 1 1/2 hours, until it is very brown and crispy and pan juices run clear when you cut between the leg and thigh. Internal temperature should be 165 F (74 C). 7. Remove from oven, cover with foil and let chicken rest for 10 to 15 minutes before carving.







8. Serve with slices of the fabulous bread from the pan.

This property is owned by one of my Canadian friends. If you’d like to get more details, click this link:

http://excitingtuscany.com/ilnido
 

This is the book I wrote based on the research in Tuscany.  It's available in print through some outlets and in ebook format.  You can check out this and the other twelve Mary Jane Maffini books at Mary Jane Maffini

Here's a link to the ebook! The Dead Don't Get Out Much: A Camilla MacPhee mysteryi
Enjoy the food and the trip!