Poulet Sauté aux Morilles

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •12-inch (30 cm) ovenproof sauté pan with a tight-fitting lid
• •10-inch (25 cm) skillet
• •Small saucepan for reducing stock
• •Three mixing bowls for washing the morels
• •Instant-read thermometer
• •Warm oval serving platter

Instructions

1. 1

   Prepare the glaze

   Heat the oven to 375°F (190°C) and warm a serving platter. If you have prepared glace de viande, measure out 2 tablespoons (30 ml / 32 g) and keep it ready. Otherwise, boil the rich unsalted chicken stock in a small saucepan until only 2 tablespoons remain and the reduction coats a spoon with a syrupy film, about 20 to 30 minutes. Measure the finished reduction rather than guessing. A loose half-cup of stock would flood the sauté and dilute the morels instead of replacing the concentrated glaze the original kitchen kept at hand.

   Use unsalted stock. Ordinary salted broth becomes harsh before it reaches the concentration required for a proper glace.
2. 2

   Wash the morels

   Trim away any muddy stem ends and split only the largest morels lengthwise. Fill three bowls with cold water. Swish the mushrooms briefly in the first bowl, lift them out with your hands so the grit stays behind, and repeat with clean water until no sand settles at the bottom. Drain them immediately and dry them carefully between clean towels. Never leave fresh morels soaking; their hollow caps surrender both flavour and texture to the water.

   Buy fresh morels from a reputable forager or market. True morels are always cooked thoroughly, never tasted raw.
3. 3

   Colour the chicken

   Pat the chicken completely dry, then season it with most of the salt and all the pepper. Melt 2 tablespoons of the chicken butter in a 12-inch (30 cm) ovenproof sauté pan over medium heat. When the foam subsides, brown the pieces in two uncrowded batches, skin-side down first, until the skin is a deep butter-gold, 6 to 8 minutes; turn and colour the second side for 3 to 4 minutes. Add the remaining tablespoon of butter as the pan needs it. The chicken should be roughly three-parts cooked, with breast pieces near 140°F (60°C), but not done. If the butter blackens and smells bitter, lift out the chicken and wipe away the burnt fat before continuing with fresh butter. Ça se rattrape. Scorched butter left beneath the fond does not.

   Wet chicken steams, while crowded chicken sheds enough liquid to boil. Dry surfaces and space in the pan are what give the sauce its browned foundation.
4. 4

   Stew the morels

   While the second batch of chicken colours, melt the morel butter in a separate 10-inch (25 cm) skillet over medium heat. Add the dried morels with a small pinch of the reserved salt and turn them through the butter for 2 minutes. Cover, lower the heat, and let them étuver, meaning stew gently in their own moisture, for 5 minutes. Uncover and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes, until tender and fragrant. Lift the morels into a bowl, then pour every drop of their dark, buttery juice into a separate cup. That juice belongs in the sauce.

5. 5

   Finish under cover

   Return all the chicken to the ovenproof sauté pan, skin-side up, and distribute the butter-stewed morels over and around it. Keep the reserved mushroom juice aside. Cover the pan tightly and place it in the oven for 10 to 18 minutes. Begin checking the breast pieces early; remove them when they reach 160°F (71°C), since they will rise to 165°F (74°C) as they rest. Let the legs continue until they reach at least 170°F (77°C) and feel tender at the joint. Transfer the chicken to the warm platter and spoon the morels over it, exactly as the dish intends.

6. 6

   Swill the pan

   Set the sauté pan over medium heat. If more than a tablespoon of clear fat remains, spoon away the excess without disturbing the fond. Pull the pan off the flame before adding the brandy, then return it to the heat and scrape the bottom with a wooden spoon until every browned deposit dissolves. Add the reserved morel juice and the glace de viande. Boil briskly for 1 to 3 minutes, until the sauce is concentrated, glossy, and strong enough to coat the back of a spoon. Taste before adding the last pinch of salt, since the glaze may have supplied enough.

7. 7

   Mount the sauce

   Take the pan off the heat. Add the cold butter a few cubes at a time, swirling or whisking until each addition disappears before adding the next. This is monter au beurre, mounting with butter, and it turns the reduced juices into a supple emulsion rather than a greasy puddle. Do not boil once the butter goes in. If the sauce separates, stop adding butter and whisk in 1 teaspoon of cold water; if it remains oily, begin with another teaspoon of cold water in a clean pan and whisk the broken sauce into it little by little. Ça se rattrape. Pour the finished sauce over the chicken and morels, then serve immediately. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Fresh morels should smell clean and woodsy, with firm honeycombed caps and no wet, collapsing patches. Their hollows collect grit, so several swift washes are necessary; one long soak is not.
• •Glace de viande is concentrated stock, not ordinary gravy. For this dish, a rich unsalted chicken stock reduced from 1½ cups (360 ml / 360 g) to 2 tablespoons (30 ml / 32 g) gives the cleanest home equivalent. Bouillon paste is too salty and too blunt.
• •If fresh morels cannot be had, use 1½ oz (40 g) dried morels. Soak them in 1¼ cups (300 ml / 300 g) warm water only until pliable, about 20 minutes, rinse them quickly, and filter the soaking liquor through a coffee filter. Use 2 tablespoons of that liquor as the reserved mushroom juice. The flavour will be more concentrated and the texture less delicate, so the change is honest but not invisible.
• •Do not add cream or vin jaune to this particular preparation. Both belong beautifully in other morel-and-chicken dishes, especially in the Jura, but this source builds its sauce from brandy, mushroom juice, meat glaze, and butter.
• •Serve with pommes purée, buttered noodles, or plain rice, something quiet enough to gather the sauce. A dry Jura Chardonnay or a restrained white Burgundy has the breadth for the morels without crowding them.
• •Leftovers keep for up to 2 days in the refrigerator. Reheat the chicken gently with a spoonful of unsalted stock, then swirl in a small piece of cold butter after the pan leaves the heat to restore the sauce's gloss.

Advance Preparation

• •The glace de viande can be prepared up to 3 days ahead and refrigerated, or frozen in tablespoon portions for several months.
• •The morels can be washed and thoroughly dried up to 6 hours ahead. Refrigerate them between clean towels in a loosely covered container so they stay dry without becoming crushed.
• •The chicken can be cut, dried, and seasoned up to 8 hours ahead, uncovered in the refrigerator. Bring it out 20 minutes before cooking. Do not brown it in advance, since the skin softens and the fond loses its freshness.
• •Complete the mounted sauce only when the guests are ready to sit. The chicken and morels may rest on the warm platter for the few minutes needed to deglaze and finish it.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 300g)