Recipe: Cafe Boulud Chicken Grand-mere (with potatoes, pearl onions and mushrooms)

CAFE BOULUD CHICKEN GRAND-MERE

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 (3 pound) chicken, cut into 8 serving pieces
Salt and freshly ground white pepper
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
12 pearl onions or cipolline onions, peeled and trimmed
4 shallots, peeled and trimmed
2 heads garlic, cloves separated but not peeled
3 sprigs thyme
4 small Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 1/2-inch chunks
2 small celery roots, peeled and cut into 1 1/2-inch chunks
2 ounces thick-cut bacon, cut into short, thin strips
12 small cremini mushrooms, trimmed and cleaned
2 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
Chopped Italian parsley (for garnish)
Crusty bread (for serving)

Position oven rack in middle position; preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

On medium-high heat, warm olive oil in large, deep ovenproof skillet. Season chicken pieces all over with salt and pepper, slip them into pan and cook until well-browned on all sides, about 10-15 minutes. Take your time - you want nice, deep color and partly cooked chicken. When chicken is deeply golden, transfer to platter and keep warm.

Pour off all but 2 tablespoons of fat from pan. Lower heat to medium; add butter, onions, shallots, garlic and thyme. Cook and stir until vegetables start to color, about 3 minutes.

Add potatoes, celery roots and bacon to the pan, and cook 1-2 minutes, to start rendering bacon fat. Cover pan and cook 10 minutes, stirring every 2 minutes.

Add mushrooms , season with salt and pepper, and return chicken to pan. Add chicken broth, bring to boil and slide pan into oven.

Bake, uncovered, in preheated oven 20-25 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.

Spoon everything onto warm serving platter or into attractive casserole. Top with parsley. Bring chicken to table with plenty of crusty bread to sop up sauce and spread with soft, sweet garlic from chicken's sauce, easily squeezed out of its skin.

Makes 6 servings
Adapted from source: Cafe Boulud Cookbook: French-American Recipes for the Home Cook by Daniel Boulud and Dorie Greenspan