Chicken Stew with Spinach, Potatoes & Porcini

This stew epitomizes comfort food on a cold winter evening. This takes some time to prepare, but it’s much more than just a simple stew. The flavors are impressive.

ingredients

1/2 ounce dried porcini mushrooms
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 slices pancetta or bacon, sliced into thin strips
6 skinless chicken thighs (bone-in or boneless), large pieces of fat trimmed
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 large yellow onion, cut into 1/4-inch dice
2 small cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup dry sherry or dry white wine
2 large Yukon Gold potatoes (1 pound total), peeled and cut into 1/2-inch dice
2 sprigs fresh thyme, plus 1 1/2 teaspoons chopped
1 1/2 cups homemade or low-salt canned chicken broth; more if needed
2 tablespoons sherry vinegar or balsamic vinegar
1 cup coarse fresh breadcrumbs
2 cups baby spinach leaves

directions

1
Soak the porcini in 1 1/2 cups boiling water for 20 minutes. Strain them, reserving the liquid, and chop them.
2
Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a large Dutch oven or heavy soup pot over medium head. Add the pancetta or bacon and cook, stirring occasionally, until crisp, about 7 minutes. Transfer to a plate lined with paper towels. Seaso nthe chicken well with salt and pepper. Add half of the thighs to the pan and brown them well, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Transfer to a large plate. Brown the remaining thighs and reserve with the rest.
3
Add the onion and half of the garlic to the pan season well with salt. cook stirring wit ha wooden spoon and scraping up any browned bits, until the onion softens and darkens slightly, about 7 minutes. Add the chopped porcini and cook for another 1 minute. Pour in the sherry and cook, stirring occasionally, until it’s alsmot completely reduced, about 2 minutes. Add the potatoes, thyme sprigs, chicken broth, reserved porcini water, and vinegar, and bring to a boil over high heat. Adjust the heat to maintain a gentle simmer ,cover the pan, and cook until the potatoes are just tender, about 15 minutes. Discard the thyme sprigs. Puree 1 1/2 cups of the chunky potato mixture in a blender. Return the pureed mixture to the rest of the broth, nestle in the chicken, add any accumulated juices, and cover the pot with the lid slightly ajar. Stew the chicken thighs at a bare simmer, turning them occaisonally, until theyr’e cooked through (about 30 -45 minutes).
4
Meanwhile, in a large non-stick skilled, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons oil over medium heat. Add the remaining garlic, saute utnil it starts to colr, about 20 seconds, and then add the breadcrubms. Cook, stirring often, until the yturn golden brown, about 6 minutes. Stir in 1/2 teaspoon of the chopped thyme, season lightly with salt and pepper ,and transfer to a plate lined with paper towels.
5
When the chicken is done, fold in the spinach and stir until wilted, about 1 minute. Stir in the remaining 1 teaspoon chopped thyme and the pancetta, season well with salt and pepper . Serve immediately, sprinkled generously with breadcrumbs.

notes

Be sure to buy good quality dried porcini mushrooms, with large white cross-sections. Cheaper ones are dark and shriveled and have an overly pungent aroma, which will give the stew an off taste. For breadcrumbs, bake 1/4 french loaf in 400 oven. Crumble.

Source: Tony Rosenfeld