Hunter’s Chicken

Start with cuts of tender, succulent chicken and sauté them in creamy butter melted into rich olive oil until they’re golden. Finish by cooking in a savory tomato sauce, full of sweet onions and earthy mushrooms. Hunt no further – this is a dish to warm you up without weighing you down.

An old classic, Hunter’s Chicken harkens back to a time when game birds were cooked with mushrooms the hunters foraged from the woods. If your schedule doesn’t allow you an afternoon of hunting and foraging you can pick up your “birds” and mushrooms at the market. It’s a beautiful list of ingredients – chicken, sweet onions, mushrooms and garlic along with vermouth, chicken stock, crushed tomatoes plus herbs of thyme and parsley.

The onions are sautéed with those gorgeous mushrooms and garlic until everything is caramelized and their fragrance fills the air.

Then a luscious sauce is created with a generous splash of vermouth, deglazing the pan and capturing all those bits of goodness.

Stir in crushed tomatoes, chicken stock and herbs to round things out and you’ve got a perfect place for the chicken to simmer.

Then dish it up, nestling the chicken on top of a creamy bed of mashed potatoes topped with a generous ladle of sauce over all. Serve with crusty bread and you’re ready to brave the chill of fall!

Hunter’s Chicken

4 boneless chicken breasts, about 2-½ to 3 pounds

3 teaspoon kosher salt, divided

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons butter

¾ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper, divided

1 medium onion chopped, about 1-½ cups

12 to 14 ounces cremini mushrooms sliced, about 6 cups

1 teaspoon chopped garlic

1-½ teaspoons flour

6 tablespoons vermouth or dry white wine

1 teaspoon dried thyme

1 large can crushed tomatoes, 28-ounces

1 cup chicken broth

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Season the chicken breasts on both sides with 2 teaspoons of the kosher salt. Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours or overnight.

About 30 minutes before cooking pull the chicken from the refrigerator to allow the meat to warm slightly. Melt the butter with the olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat. When the butter and oil are hot add the chicken breasts, seasoning with about ¼ teaspoon of the black pepper on each side. Cook the chicken until golden, about 15 minutes total. Transfer the chicken to a platter.

Add the chopped onions and the mushrooms to the pan, stirring to coat in the drippings. Continue cooking over medium heat until the onions and mushrooms are tender and caramelized, about 10 to 12 minutes.

Stir in the chopped garlic and cook for an additional 3 minutes. Toss in the flour and stir to blend into the onions and mushrooms.

Pour in the vermouth, scraping any bits from the bottom of the pan.

Add the dried thyme, crushed tomatoes and chicken stock with the remaining teaspoon of kosher salt and ¼ teaspoon black pepper. Stir together and return the chicken to the pan along with any pan drippings.

Spoon sauce over the chicken, cover and cook over medium-low heat for 25 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through.

Sprinkle the chopped parsley over the chicken and cook covered for an additional 5 minutes.

Delicious served hot over mashed potatoes.

Makes 4 servings.