Recipe

Chicken Thighs Braised with Wild Mushrooms & Marsala

Name: Chicken Thighs Braised with Wild Mushrooms & Marsala
Yield: 4
Ingredients: 8 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs; 25g dried porcini mushrooms; 250ml boiling water; 300g fresh chestnut or mixed mushrooms, sliced; 2 echalion (banana) shallots, finely sliced; 3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced; 150ml dry Marsala; 200ml good chicken stock (check label for gluten-free); 1 tbsp fresh thyme leaves; 2 bay leaves; 2 tbsp olive oil; Sea salt and black pepper; Small bunch flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped, to serve

Chicken thighs browned until the skin is deeply golden, then braised slowly with porcini, fresh mushrooms, shallots and Marsala until the sauce is reduced, glossy and deeply savoury. The kind of dish that makes September feel like the right month to be cooking.

Serves 4

Ready in 1 hr 15 min

Keeps 4 days fridge. Freezes well.

Level Moderate

8 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
25g dried porcini mushrooms
250ml boiling water
300g fresh chestnut or mixed mushrooms, sliced
2 echalion (banana) shallots, finely sliced
3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
150ml dry Marsala
200ml good chicken stock (check label for gluten-free)
1 tbsp fresh thyme leaves
2 bay leaves
2 tbsp olive oil
Sea salt and black pepper
Small bunch flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped, to serve

Method

Put the dried porcini in a small bowl and pour over 250ml just-boiled water. Leave to soak for 20 minutes — the porcini will plump and the water will become deeply flavoured. Lift the mushrooms out, squeeze gently to remove excess liquid, and roughly chop. Pour the soaking liquid slowly through a fine sieve or a piece of kitchen paper into a jug, stopping before you reach the gritty sediment at the bottom. Reserve both.

Pat the chicken thighs thoroughly dry with kitchen paper — surface moisture is the enemy of crisp skin. Season generously on both sides with salt and pepper. Heat the olive oil in a wide, heavy-based casserole or deep ovenproof frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the thighs skin-side down and cook completely undisturbed for 8–10 minutes, until the skin is deeply golden, rendered and crisp. Flip and cook for 2 minutes on the flesh side. Remove to a plate and set aside.

Reduce the heat to medium. Add the shallots to the fat remaining in the pan and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened and beginning to turn golden at the edges. Add the garlic and thyme and cook for 1 minute more. Add the fresh mushrooms, increase the heat slightly and cook for 4–5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms have released their liquid and the pan is beginning to dry out again.

Add the chopped porcini to the pan. Pour in the Marsala and let it bubble vigorously, scraping up any browned bits from the base, until reduced by half — about 3 minutes. Pour in the stock and the reserved porcini soaking liquid. Add the bay leaves and season well with salt and pepper. Nestle the chicken thighs back into the pan, skin-side up, so the skin sits above the liquid. Bring to a gentle simmer.

Cover the pan partially — leaving a small gap for steam to escape — and cook over a low heat for 35–40 minutes until the chicken is cooked through and completely tender when pressed. Remove the lid for the final 10 minutes to allow the sauce to concentrate and the skin to firm slightly. The sauce should be glossy and lightly coating. If it remains thin, lift the chicken out and reduce the sauce over high heat for a few minutes before returning the thighs.

Taste the sauce and adjust with salt and pepper. Discard the bay leaves. Scatter the chopped parsley over the top and bring the pan straight to the table. Serve with mashed potato, soft polenta or crusty bread alongside to catch the sauce.

✦ Chef's note

Dry Marsala works best here — it gives depth without sweetness. Sweet Marsala is also fine but produces a slightly richer, more dessert-adjacent flavour; reduce it a little more before adding the stock. If Marsala is unavailable, dry Madeira or a dry sherry (not cooking sherry) work well. Wild mushrooms — chanterelles, ceps or a mixed foraged bag — make this dish exceptional if you can get hold of them; add them at the same stage as the fresh chestnut mushrooms. This braise improves significantly made the day before: the flavour deepens overnight and the sauce tightens as it cools. Reheat gently, covered, with a splash of stock if needed.