Recipe Background
What's so special about this Special Christmas Chicken Dinner? It's more than just the holiday festivity (but that doesn't hurt either)! It's the golden and deeply savory braised chicken! It's the rich, creamy, and bright sauce coating every welcome bite! It's the fresh vegetables and beefy mushrooms that only enhance the poultry flavor! Bring it all together and it becomes clear why the Special Christmas Chicken Dinner is so special: it's a true holiday for the taste buds!
What's so special about this Special Christmas Chicken Dinner? It's more than just the holiday festivity (but that doesn't hurt either)! It's the golden and deeply savory braised chicken! It's the rich, creamy, and bright sauce coating every welcome bite! It's the fresh vegetables and beefy mushrooms that only enhance the poultry flavor! Bring it all together and it becomes clear why the Special Christmas Chicken Dinner is so special: it's a true holiday for the taste buds!
Ingredients
- 2 pounds chicken leg quarter bone-in and skin-on
- kosher salt to taste
- black pepper to taste
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 sweet onion diced
- 3 cloves garlic minced or grated
- 2 carrots chopped
- 1 (16-ounce) carton mixed mushrooms halved
- 2 cups dry white wine
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- 1/2 cup parmesan cheese grated
- 4 sprigs fresh thyme plus more, to taste, chopped, for garnish
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
- Season the chicken leg quarters with the salt and the black pepper.
- In a large Dutch oven or a cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat, add the olive oil and heat until it begins to shimmer.
- Add the chicken leg quarters to the hot oil and sear, flipping them once, until they are golden on all sides, about 3-5 minutes per side.
- Transfer the seared chicken leg quarters to a plate.
- In the same Dutch oven, add the butter, the onions, the garlic, the carrots, and the mushrooms and cook, while stirring occasionally, until the onions are a rich golden-brown, about 5-10 minutes.
- Add the wine, the heavy cream, the mustard, and the parmesan to the vegetable mixture and stir to combine.
- Season the vegetable mixture with the salt and the black pepper.
- Bring the vegetable mixture to a boil.
- Reduce the heat to low.
- Nestle the seared chicken leg quarters into the vegetable mixture, skin-side up.
- Add 4 of the thyme sprigs to the chicken mixture.
- Bake until the chicken leg quarters reach an internal temperature of 165 degrees F in the thickest part, about 35-40 minutes.
- Serve garnished with the extra chopped thyme.
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