Chicken Thighs with Mushrooms & Riesling

Seriously, this dish is winey and buttery and comforting and faintly reminds me of chicken marsala, and who doesn’t love chicken marsala? You can use whatever mushrooms you like; I like a mix of button (my go-to cheap, delicious utility mushroom), shiitake (not my all-time favorite mushroom, texture-wise, but definitely the most flavorful), and maitake (aka hen of the woods, for even more texture), but honestly any other varieties would be great! And you could use a wine other than Riesling, but I love the complexity and almost floral sweetness it brings, which balances nicely with the warm spices in the dish. Yes, I know, it is entirely uncool to like white wine that isn’t super dry, but I’m not sure why, and we don’t have to live our lives the way other people want us to just to be polite.

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

• 4 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs, about 1 1/2 pounds (680g)

• 1 tablespoon kosher salt

• 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

• 3/4 pound (340g) mushrooms, any variety, sliced

• 5 garlic cloves, finely minced

• 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom

• 1/4 teaspoon ground coriander

• 1 1/2 cups (355ml) Riesling

• 1/2 cup (120ml) chicken stock

• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter

• 1/2 cup (20g) chopped fresh herbs (such as dill, mint, basil, parsley, or a mix)

• 1/2 bunch scallions, white and green parts, thinly sliced

• Cooked pasta, cooked rice, or bread, for serving

Food52 Dynamite Chicken by Tyler Kord

Directions

1. Heat the oil in a large sauté pan with high sides over high heat until smoking. Season the chicken thighs with the salt and add them to the pan, skin-side down. Reduce the heat a little so that they don’t burn, and cook until the skin is nicely caramelized, 10 to 12 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a plate.

2. To the pan, add the flour and cook, stirring constantly, for 3 to 5 minutes, until lightly browned. Add the mushrooms and give everything a stir, cooking for another 1 to 2 minutes and accepting that it would take too long to completely brown the mushrooms and they taste just as good when they’re not fully browned. Add the garlic, cardamom, and coriander, and mix to combine. Add the wine and stock, stirring continuously until no lumps of toasted flour remain. Add the chicken thighs back into the pan, skin-side up, and nestle them in the liquid. Bring to a boil and continue to boil until the liquid has reduced by half, 15 to 20 minutes.

3. Turn off the heat and mix in the butter, herbs, and scallions. This is delicious over pasta or rice, or just with some nice crusty bread to soak up the sauce.