~Chicken - #1~ -

I love to cook and on most days I throw things together and make it up while I go. At Sheckyville we have a new kitchen, actually a new house, so cooking in the new kitchen has been a culinary adventure and, an adventure in trying to take photos one handed while cooking. That’s something else that is new and not easy to do when one is doing photos for purposes of blogging.

Here’s a simple dish with a lot of flavor I made the other night. Although I do not have the pics of a magazine here, this chicken dish tasted really good. I am calling it Chicken #1 only because I will have more chicken dishes to post in the future.

I never measure on my own one-pots so these measurements are approximate. I just add a bit here and there, but I’ll go through the steps of the tidbits. Your taste is the most important.

4 large Chicken Thighs
@ 2C of Carrots – small to medium chopped
1 large Yellow Onion – chopped medium-ish
@ 5 Garlic cloves chopped
1 C of Mushrooms soaked overnight in broth, oil, sherry & herbs. Or, if you like them, a can of mushrooms will do, just spruce them up with seasoning. Depends on what you like, I have had them both ways.
Salt & Pepper to taste
Mixed herbs of dried thyme, crushed rosemary, sage & parsley to taste
Chicken Stock
Sherry
Cornstarch

Let’s Begin.

Big Pot: My favorite pots to use are cast iron. For these one pot dishes, cast iron seems to bring out the flavors. Don’t ask me why… I dunno, but it always tastes better.

Oil: Add the oil. A good amount to get that chicken browned nicely.

Chicken: I like chicken thighs with skin and on the bone because to me that is flavor and I don’t want to toss that away. So I gathered up four large thighs, washed them up, seasoned them with my garden herbs, and some salt and pepper then added them to the pot skin side down. Brown them. When they are a nice golden brown turn them over and do the same on the other side. When nicely golden brown, take them out of the pan and set them aside.

I browned them and added a tad of onion just before I took them out to flavor up the oil

Next: This is when I take most of the oil out of the pot but not the wonders on the bottom. Keep that stuff for tasty chicken! Taking just a soup ladle, (oil is hot, hot, hot so be careful), ladle most of the hot oil out of the pot only leaving enough to get the veggies sautéed and the carrots coated.

Onions: Add and saute that baby.

Carrots: Add them and cook the onions with the carrots for a few minutes to get the juices rolling. Then…

Add the garlic, stir it up and cook for a few minutes more.

Sherry: Then the magic… Sherry. I put a glass of Sherry into the pot. Sometimes I put two glasses which I did this time and drank another *Yup I sure did*. Depending on your tasty taste buds you decide how much, but the flavor that the Sherry gives this recipe a flavor that sinks right into the yummy happiness of the chicken and vegetables and of course, your belly.

Add the chicken back into the pot.

Chicken Stock: Add about 1/2 C to 1 C of Chicken Stock (or more if you wish) and put a lid on it till it is done. Not long, about 15 minutes at best or so. Check it.

Mushrooms: Add them. If you are adding canned mushrooms they are already cooked so make sure you add them around this time of cooking or they just get mushy if cooked too long. Fresh mushrooms can cook a little longer. Again, it is all about the taste buds but I just love fresh vegetables and the flavor they add to any dish.

Saucy Gravy Sauce: I love gravy. Love, love, love, it. So I added, 1 tbsp. of cornstarch to about 1/2 C of liquid from the pot and gave it a good shake in a Mason jar. Then I added it back into the pot and stirred it in well. This thickens the liquid in the pot into a gravy-like luv fest. The more cornstarch, the thicker. If it gets too thick just add more stock. If you add more stock adjust your seasonings again because you are adding liquid to it.

Okay… so when it is done… Eat it. No time for special plating.

I poured mine over some brown rice. A day later I had leftovers which were yummier than the first. It just seems to get better but didn’t last long.

Babble:

Veggies: You can use any, but I like carrots with chicken especially when it’s in a one pot. They seem to cook more evenly in one pot wonders. So I just chopped up some baby carrots because I like the sweetness. Very simple.

Mushrooms: Optional. For me I love the flavor after soaking them overnight in broth, Sherry, oil, and herbs in this dish. A bit of salt and pepper. Add your own herbs. Canned mushrooms are not so bad either. It is just preference and timing. All is good.

Herbs: I used herbs from my garden and store them in containers and leave them by the stove. That way I use them before they lose their flavors. Crushed Rosemary, Sage, Thyme, and Parsley. Those are basic in the Sheckyville kitchen. It’s so easy to plant, pick, dry and use. They taste so much better.

Oil: I used this Olive Oil. I normally infuse my own oils but I got a few of this brand in different flavors and it worked out beautifully.