Yield: 4 Servings

The French Cooking Academy

The chicken hunter style or (poulet sauté chasseur) is a classic French stew made with sautéed pieces of chicken, which are braised using a combination of brown chicken stock, tomato sauce, mushrooms, shallots and fresh herbs (tarragon and parsley). it is best made using a cast iron Dutch oven. Best served with a side of potatoes or quality tagliatelle and a bottle of dry white wine like a Muscadet wine.

• 2lb bone-in chicken thighs
• salt & pepper
• 2½TBS AP flour
• 2TBS butter

Brown chicken stock:

• 1lb chicken bones
• 1carrot
• ½yellow onion
• 2cups veal stock
• 1TBS tomato paste
• 1clove garlic
• 1bouquet garni

Sauce:

• 1medium shallots
• 4oz mushrooms
• 2TBS cognac or brandy
  
• 2oz white wine
• 2cups chicken stock
• 1TBS butter
• 1TBS tarragon
• 1TBS parsley
• 1pinch salt
• 1pinch pepper

Prepare the garnish:
Preheat oven to 400°F.Trim and slice the mushrooms. Peel and chop the shallots. wash the parsley and tarragon and when done, reserve in the fridge.

Start cooking the chicken pieces:

Season each chicken piece with salt and pepper and dredge them in plain flour. Melta TBS of butter in a Dutch oven or sauté pan and wait for the butter to stop foaming. Add the chicken pieces one by one in the pan (skin side down) and cook for a few minutes. When the skin is light brown turn the thighs over and brown the other side. When done cover the pan and continue to cook in the oven at 400°F for 15 minutes

Start the sauce “Chasseur”

Start by quickly washing and chopping the mushrooms. then the pan out of the oven, remove the chicken pieces and place them on a tray to keep them warm and reserve on the side to allow them to rest. Place the pan you used to cook the chicken on the stove on medium heat, add the mushrooms in and sauté them for 1 or 2 minutes. Remove the excess of fat (if any), add the chopped shallots and let them sweat a little bit. Flambe with the cognac, then deglaze with the white wine. Reduce until a TBS worth of wine is left. add in the brown chicken stock, turn the heat back on low and let the stock reduce for a few minutes.

Finish the sauce Chasseur

Chop the tarragon and parsley finely, about two TBS each. Check the sauce for seasoning and adjust if necessary. Take the pan off the heat and incorporate a TBS of butter in the sauce by stirring slowly. add a TBS of tarragon and parsley to the sauce and stir again. Add the chicken pieces in the pan and warm up on a very low heat (the sauce must not boil!!) for a few minutes until the chicken is warm enough to be served.

Plate and serve

Use a large dish (or individual plates) place the chicken pieces in the dish and cover the chicken with the warm sauce. Finish off by sprinkling the last TBS of freshly chopped parsley and tarragon over the meat and serve.

Side dish suggestions: