Duxelles Chicken

[Carmelina Olden]

You can definitely just cook down some chicken or beef stock and whisk in duxelles and butter too. There's no wrong way to do this, as long as it tastes good to you. Think of this as a broad guideline, not a strict recipe.

You can fashion a duxelles from dried mushrooms, but since the mushrooms are dried and concentrated, the flavors can become bitter sometimes, especially with black trumpet mushrooms or lobster mushrooms. To curb any bitterness, use a larger amount of fresh mushrooms (white buttons from the store are fine) to cut and smooth out the flavor of the dried mushrooms when preparing the duxelles.

You want that rock hard skin that goes "tink-tink-tink" when you tap it. Everyone knows crispy skin is addictive as crack, and I love a good roast chicken, but lets be honest, you can't do it everynight, and getting a whole bird to have crispy skin is a feat.

A quick-trick weeknight fix is a bone-in, skin on breast that will cook in about 15 minutes. A quick vacation in the oven and that bird's coming out singing. It's the same way I cook them at restaurants, as do most chefs.

There's a couple tricks to getting a rock-hard chicken skin though. You don't have to use all the tips I outline, but following them will give a superior product. Don't have time to dry brine the bird overnight? No prob. Dry the chicky boobs off really good with paper towels, season them and proceed la Minute. Here's what I suggest:

This means season the chicken with salt and pepper the night before, then leave it out UNCOVERED, skin side up in the refrigerator, so that the skin dries out. Freaked out from memories of old steak you forgot about in the fridge? Don't be, it's going to be aweome.

Put the chicken skin-down into a hot pan, then into the oven, 375-400F is good. When the chicken is just done, remove the pan and inspect the skin by lifting up the breast. If the skin needs to be more golden brown (read as rock-hard and golden), put the pan back on the burner for a minute or two over medium heat to get a perfect golden brown.

You need to to take the bird out of the pan to rest it SKIN SIDE UP before slicing, this could happen in an oven thats been turned off, or in even just on a cutting board as pictured here. The great part is that doing this all in one pan means that it kind of forces you to rest the bird, since you want to deglaze and harvest all the delicious chickenly bits in the pan.

Thanks for commenting. I adjusted the note so that it reads a little more clearly. No, I would never leave poultry out overnight and then eat it, the chicken needs to stay under refrigeration, the dessication of the refrigeratator helps to tighten up the skin and makes a big difference, I do it with all kinds of meat and fish, it's also a technique heavily used for smoked fish.

HI, I'm Alan: James Beard Award-winning Chef, Author, Show Host and Forager. I've been writing about cooking wild food here for over a decade. Let me show you why foraging is the most delicious thing you'll ever do.

Several weeks ago Marx Foods announced on twitter that they were going to hold a Mushroom Recipe Challenge for Food Bloggers. I responded and soon after that received a box with samples of 5 different types of wild mushrooms that are hand-foraged from the forests of the Pacific Northwest.

I received samples of dried Chanterelle, Porcini, Lobster, Matsutake, and Black Trumpet mushrooms. I decided to use the Chanterelle mushrooms to make duxelles stuffed chicken breast, and the Porcini and Lobster mushrooms to make risotto.

Chanterelle Mushrooms have an earthy and fruity aroma, but can be woody and tough when reconstituted. They work well in the duxelles recipe because they are processed until finely chopped and they take on a creamy consistency.

Duxelles is typically made from fresh mushrooms along with shallots, butter, cream and herbs. Dry mushrooms are great to use in this because it really reduces cooking time and the concentrated flavor and aroma of the dry mushrooms produces an even deeper flavor. The duxelles paste is perfect as a stuffing for chicken breasts.

Make the Duxelles:
1.Soak mushrooms in boiling water for 20 minutes. Drain and reserve liquid.
2.Rinse mushrooms under running water to remove any grittiness.
3.In a medium skillet, add butter, shallots, and mushrooms. Cook until shallots are soft. Add the sherry, heavy cream, and parsley. Cook until the liquids have thickened and the mixture has a creamy consistency. Season with salt and pepper.
4.Transfer mixture to a food processor and process for 2 minutes, until finely chopped. Let mixture cool.

Prepare Chicken Breasts:
1.Pre-heat oven to 400F.
2.Cut a deep pocket in each chicken breast trying to slice in the middle of the chicken breast so that each section is about the same thickness. Season the inside of the pockets with salt and pepper. Spread 1 teaspoon mustard in the pocket, and stuff with 2 tablespoons of the duxelle mixture. Brush the skin of the chicken breasts with olive oil, and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
3.Place the chicken breasts in an oven safe skillet and roast for 30-35 minutes. Once the chicken breasts are done, remove from the pan and set aside to cool before slicing.
4.Place the skillet with the chicken juices on the stove top. Dissolve 1 tablespoon flour in 2 tablespoons sherry or white wine and add to the chicken juices. Add about cup of the reserved mushroom water. Bring to a boil and cook until the mixture thickens. Strain the gravy into a container. Slice the chicken breasts and sauce with gravy.

Mushroom risotto is one of my favorite things to make, and I had never made it with dry mushrooms. The added bonus is that the soaking liquid from the mushrooms becomes part of the broth that you use to cook the rice. The risotto gets a rich woodsy flavor from the broth, and the mushrooms are meaty and toothsome. You could serve the risotto by itself since it is very satisfying.

1.Soak mushrooms in boiling water for 20 minutes. Drain and reserve liquid.
2.Rinse mushrooms under water to remove any grittiness. Chop into bite sized pieces.
3.Add the reserved liquid into a small saucepan, and add the chicken stock. Bring to a simmer.
4.In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, add the butter, onions, and mushrooms. Cook until onions are soft. Add rice and cook for another 2 minutes. Add wine, and cook until rice has absorbed it. Add a ladleful of the simmering mushroom/chicken stock liquid and stir occasionally. Keep adding broth and stirring until the rice is cooked but still firm, about 20-25 minutes.
5.Add the artichokes, lemon zest, lemon juice, butter, and parmesan. Stir well. Taste and add salt and pepper as necessary. Serve immediately.

When I was a banquet chef, this dish was among the most popular for weddings, awards banquets and other catered affairs. It is very easy to make in bulk, especially if you have a big work table and can set up an assembly line.

The mushroom duxelle can be made ahead of time, as can the pesto. I would prepare huge batches of these, and then knock out hundreds of stuffed chicken breasts in an afternoon. Commercially, I used a shredded gruyere cheese, but for home use I substituted a simple cheddar and jack combination. You can really use any type of cheese you like.

When I made this at home, I served it on a potato latke and sauced it with some sour cream I put into a squeeze bottle, then garnished it with scallions. But in the banquet kitchen, I would serve these napped with a chicken veloute sauce, with rosemary roasted red potatoes and a combination of steamed carrots, broccoli, zucchini and yellow squash.

Honestly, once you master this dish, you can make a fortune catering banquets. People love it. Plus, for the home cook, it is easy to make many of these at the same time if you entertaining or hosting a dinner party.

1. To make mushroom duxelle, put cast iron pan on the fire. When hot, add the EVOO. When smoking, add onions and cook about 3 minutes. Add the mushrooms and cook until all the liquid in them is evaporated and they start to brown, about 7 minutes. For the final minute of cooking, stir in the garlic and Italian seasoning. Remove from heat and let cool a little. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

2. Place chicken breasts on cutting board. If they are large, cut them in half horizontally,as if you were cutting a deck of cards. Each serving should have about 6 oz of chicken. Place a plastic freezer bag over the breast, then pound it with a meat tenderizer or a rolling pin so chicken breast if flattened out to about the size of your hand.

To make the potato latke, shred a leftover pre-cooked baked potato then mix with 1/2 onion, diced small, and salt and pepper. Heat a small cast iron pan. When smoking, add some vegetable oil and let it get smoking hot. Melt a teaspoon of butter in the oil, then place the shredded potatoes in the pan and pat down slightly with a spoon or spatula. Fry about 4 minutes, then invert onto a plate. Get the cast iron pan back up to temperature, add fresh oil, a tab of butter, and slide the potato uncooked side down back into the pan. Finish frying and invert onto a sheet pan.

You can make multiple latkes ahead of time and line them up on a sheet pan. When ready to serve, reheat for about 10 minutes at 375F. These can serve as a delicious base for many different entrees, or serve them by themselves with a little sour cream or apple sauce, and garnish with sliced scallions or chives.

For my dinner, I love serving the chicken roulade with Gluten Free pasta. I use the same skillet the chicken was in, add a little more olive oil and 2 cloves of garlic and cook that over low heat for 8 minutes so the garlic flavor infuses into the oil. Then I add cooked Gluten Free pasta to it and season it with salt and pepper. Easy!

For the Duxelles, saut mushrooms with salt and pepper in 1/2 teaspoon of olive oil until golden. Add garlic and shallot, and a splash of white wine and let that cook about 1 minute. Add spinach and allow to wilt. Put everything in a food processor and process until the mixture becomes almost like a paste. Set aside.

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