Chicken with Mushrooms & Garlic

I've been a little remiss lately...
Not blogging, not cooking too much, entirely too busy, especially for January!
What's up with that?

This was pretty easy... and low carb, and gluten free.... and well, YUMMY.
Baking the chicken thighs while you're preparing the rest makes it very quick to prepare.

I know some of you may not like to eat chicken on the bone... I get it, I really do.
I'm thinking you could easily make the sauce part of this dish and serve it over grilled or pan fried boneless chicken too.


As you can see below, I am using fresh thyme.  It's very satisfying to go out to my herb pot on the deck and see one little plant still chugging away with fresh leaves for me to use.  If you don't have a pot of it, I'd suggest you get one this spring.  A very forgiving plant and is useful all year too.

Serves 3-4
Ingredients

6 Chicken thighs, with bones & skin, about 2 lbs
12 oz sliced mushrooms (I used 1/2 package of the above)
2/3 cup chopped onions
5-6 garlic cloves, minced (lots)
1-2 Tbsp olive oil
1-2 Tbsp butter
1 cup chicken stock
1/2 cup cream
1/2 cup white wine
2 Tbsp cornstarch
3-4 fresh thyme sprigs, about 1 tsp of small leaves or 1 tsp dried thyme
Green onions or chopped parsley, for garnish (optional)

Salt and Pepper some chicken thighs on both sides.  Add to a large 9x13 baking dish. No need for oil or butter, the chicken skin will release enough to keep them from sticking to the pan. Bake the thighs in a hot oven, 400 degrees for about 20-25 minutes.  

They should look nice and crisp and browned and be cooked through.  You can pierce the part near the bone to see if the juices are clear. If they are reddish, cook for another 2-3 minutes.

Note:  Be sure to drain the fat and juices from the baking pan.  Add it to a dish, and put it in the freezer or fridge to solidify the fat.  Discard the fat when firm and use the broth for something some other night. It takes a bit too long to do this with the juices for this dish, but this is nice broth/stock that you'll be able to use later! I got about 1/2 cup of very rich stock.

While the chicken is cooking, slice up the mushrooms, onions and crush the garlic.
Saute the mushrooms, onions and garlic in the butter & olive oil.  Saute for about 4-5 minutes until they start to soften.  DON'T add any salt to the sauting mushrooms, they release too much water and don't brown up very well.

Add broth, wine, cream, fresh thyme.  Simmer for about 3-4 more minutes.
To thicken, add the corn starch to a tablespoon of water and mix, adding it to the sauce as it simmers.  Cook for 1-2 more minutes and let it thicken.

Add the sauce around the chicken thighs and serve at once over noodles, rice or quinoa