Seared Marinated Chicken with Shiitake Mushrooms

Copyright 2012 LtDan'sKitchen blogs

I needed a chicken dish for a dinner I was cooking for my friends and I had very little time. Knowing from experience that my best bet would be one of Lidia's recipes, I found a recipe which I think will be great for a dinner for 12. I already cooked most of her dishes in her website so I needed to try something new. I was also cooking at my friend's house where there was no functional oven so I had to settle for a skillet-cooked dish.

Mushrooms were in season so I was glad that they were selling fresh shiitake mushrooms although I think they were oyster mushrooms and not the shitake ones. Either way, I got almost a kilogram of fresh mushrooms so I used most of them for this dish. I also used a handful of dried shitake to up the flavor of the dish without having to add white wine. My friends are not wine drinkers. 

Seared Marinated Chicken with Shiitake Mushrooms - Adapted*

3 lbs chicken breasts, skinned
1/4 cup olive oil
5 garlic cloves, crushed
2 tsp Herbes de Provence
salt and pepper
fresh parsley, chopped 

Shitake Sauce:
1 lb fresh shiitake mushrooms
200 g dried Shiitake mushrooms 
4 tbsp olive oil
4 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup brandy
2 tbsp unsalted butter
1 cup hot water
1/4 cup capers

1. Marinate the chicken in the olive oil, crushed garlic, Herbes de Provence, 
    and season with a tablespoon of coarse salt and a few dashes of pepper. 
    Seal and store in the fridge for two hours. 

2. Reconstitute the dried mushrooms in the hot water. Let it soak until the 
    mushrooms has softened. Remove the stems and set aside the 
    reconstituted liquid.  

3. In a large skillet, heat the 4 tablespoon of olive oil and sear the chicken 
    in batches until browned on all sides. Set aside. 

4. In the same pan, add the minced garlic and saute until softened. Add the
    brandy and the softened mushrooms and bring to a boil.

5. Add the broth and reconstituted liquid and once boiling, return the chicken 
    pieces and braise until cooked through. Check for flavor. 

6. Remove the cooked chicken from the pan with a slotted spoon and 
    arrange in a serving platter.

7. To the sauce, add the butter and mix. Add the fresh mushrooms and 
    capers and cook until the mushrooms are softened. 

8. Spoon the sauce and mushrooms over the chicken pieces and garnish 
    with the chopped parsley. Drizzle with more olive oil if desired.

*Lidia's Italy: Seared Marinated Chicken Breasts with Shiitake Mushrooms.