Samantha Denton

Chicken Burgundy

Tender chicken thighs simmered in red wine with pancetta, mushrooms, onions, and fresh thyme.

Ingredients

4–6 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (bone-in, skin-on)
4 oz diced pancetta
8 oz small boiler or pearl onions, peeled
8 oz mushrooms, halved or quartered
3–4 cloves garlic, minced
4–6 sprigs fresh thyme
Salt and freshly cracked black pepper
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp all-purpose flour
2 cups Pinot Noir
1 cup chicken broth
1–2 tbsp olive oil (if needed)

Method

1
Heat a large Dutch oven or braiser over medium heat. Add the pancetta and cook for a few minutes until it begins to render and lightly crisp. Add the whole onions and mushrooms and cook until they begin to brown and soften, about 6–8 minutes. Add the garlic and fresh thyme and cook for about 1 minute, just until fragrant. Remove everything from the pan and set aside.
2
Season the chicken generously with salt and pepper. Add a little olive oil to the pan if there isn't enough pancetta fat remaining. Place the chicken skin side down and cook without disturbing until the skin is deeply golden and crisp, about 6–8 minutes. Flip and brown the other side for another 3–4 minutes. Remove the chicken and set aside.
3
Add the butter to the now empty pan. Once melted, sprinkle in the flour and whisk it into the butter and remaining fat. Cook for 1–2 minutes, stirring constantly.
4
Slowly pour in the Pinot Noir, stirring and scraping up all of the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Let the wine simmer for 3–5 minutes. Add the chicken broth and a few sprigs of fresh thyme and stir until combined.
5
Return the pancetta, onions and mushrooms to the pan. Nestle the chicken back into the sauce, skin side up.
6
Bring the sauce to a gentle simmer, then reduce the heat to low and cover. Let the chicken braise on the stovetop for about 45–60 minutes, or until very tender and cooked through. Remove the lid for the last 10–15 minutes if you'd like the sauce to reduce and thicken further.