Bistro Chicken Casserole

I found this while trolling blogs for food. I have scribbled "You've got it Made" in the margin, so that must be the website I lifted it from.

I didn't quite make it as written since I had a hard time with the toast and cheese on top. It reminds me of Coq Au Vin, which I had tried to make before and it turned out purple. Had a hard time choking down purple chicken.

Here is what I did with it:

1/4 cup olive oil

8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs

salt and pepper

4 shallots, quartered

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 tsp dried thyme

1/2 pound cremini mushrooms, quartered

1 cup Burgundy wine (mine was just a red)

2 cups chicken broth

1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened

1/4 cup flour

Heat oil in large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper and add to pot. Saute on both sides until chicken is golden brown, about 12 to 15 minutes. Remove chicken to a plate. Add shallots, garlic and thyme. Saute until garlic is fragrant and shallots are softened, about 3 to 5 minutes. Add mushrooms and cook 5 minutes until they begin to color. Return chicken to pan, pour in wine and broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes. In a small bowl, combine butter and flour to make a paste. Stir into bubbling casserole and stir until thickened. Original recipe then has you toast 8 pieces of French bread, lay on top of casserole then sprinkle with 1 cup Gruyere cheese and bake for 35 minutes at 350 degrees F. I just wasn't sure that toasty bread and cheese on top would work for Dude.

I made a batch of mashed potatoes and send it to work with him. I hate mushrooms and I am not a fan of dark meat, but this was AMAZING! I didn't eat any shrooms, but the sauce was crazy good and it didn't turn purple!