Braised Chicken Thighs with Potatoes, Porcini and Dried Cherries

by Chef Bonnie Morales

This is a traditional Russian style dish with ingredients like chicken, potatoes and porcini with garlicky sour cream.

Total prep time: 2 hr 45 min. Serves 4

1 tbsp and 1 tsp peanut oil
11 large garlic cloves, 8 whole and 3 crushed
1 cup sour cream or créme fraiche
½ cup dried porcini mushrooms (½ oz.)
Kosher salt
2 lbs. large chicken thighs
2 medium Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and sliced ⅛ inch thick
½ cup unsweetened dried sour cherries (about 2 oz.)
Celery leaves, for garnish

1. In a medium saucepan, heat 1 teaspoon of the oil. Add the whole garlic cloves and cook over low heat, stirring, until golden and fragrant, 5 minutes. Add 4 cups of water and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer over low heat until reduced to 2 cups, about 1 hour. Strain the garlic broth into a bowl.

2. In another bowl, whisk 1 cup of the garlic broth with the sour cream and porcini and season with salt; reserve the remaining garlic broth for another use.

3. Preheat the oven to 350°F. In a large cast-iron skillet, heat the remaining 1 tbsp of oil. Season the chicken with salt and cook over moderate heat until golden all over, about 10 minutes total. Transfer the chicken to a plate. Pour off all but 1 tbsp of the oil in the skillet. Arrange the potato slices in the pan, overlapping them slightly. Set the chicken skin side down on top of the potatoes. Scatter the cherries and crushed garlic around the chicken and pour the garlic sauce with porcini on top. Roast the chicken for 20 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 300°F and roast for about 45 minutes longer, until the potatoes are tender and the chicken is cooked through.

4. Preheat the broiler and arrange the rack 6 inches from the heat. Turn the chicken skin side up and broil until the skin is golden and crisp, about 8 minutes. Garnish with celery leaves and serve.