Estrogonofe de Frango

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Large 30 cm heavy skillet or wide sauté pan
• •Tongs
• •Wooden spoon or silicone spatula
• •Measuring cups and spoons
• •Instant-read thermometer, optional

Instructions

1. 1

   Season the chicken

   Pat the chicken dry with paper towel, then season it with 1 teaspoon of the salt and the black pepper. Let it sit while you chop the onion and garlic, about 10 minutes. Dry chicken browns. Wet chicken leaks water into the pan, and then you are boiling little cubes while wondering why they look sad.

2. 2

   Brown in batches

   Warm 1 tablespoon of the oil in a wide heavy skillet over medium-high heat until it looks glossy. Add half the chicken in one layer and leave it alone for 2 minutes, then turn the pieces and brown the other sides until golden at the edges, 4 to 5 minutes total. Move it to a plate and repeat with the remaining oil and chicken. Don't crowd the pan. Crowd it and the chicken releases water, the heat drops, and you get grey meat in grey liquid instead of flavor.

   The chicken does not need to be fully cooked yet. It will finish in the molho, where it stays juicy instead of tightening into little rubber cubes.
3. 3

   Start the refogado

   Lower the heat to medium. Add the onion to the same pan with all those browned bits stuck to the bottom. Cook, stirring and scraping, until the onion goes soft and see-through, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute, just until you can smell it. This is the refogado, the foundation. Burn the garlic and it turns bitter, then follows you through the whole dinner like a bad decision.

4. 4

   Cook the mushrooms

   If using mushrooms, add them now with the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt. Cook until they soften, darken a little, and their water cooks off, about 4 minutes. Mushrooms carry a lot of water. Give that water time to leave, or it thins the molho and steals the browning you worked for.

5. 5

   Build the molho

   Stir in the tomato paste and cook for 1 minute, until it darkens slightly and smells sweet instead of raw. Add the passata, water, and mustard, scraping the bottom of the pan again. Simmer for 5 minutes, until the sauce thickens enough to leave a trail when you drag the spoon through it. Cooking the tomato first takes away the sharp edge, so the creme doesn't have to hide a raw sauce.

6. 6

   Finish the chicken

   Return the chicken and every drop of juice on the plate to the pan. Stir, lower the heat to medium-low, and simmer gently for 5 to 7 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through and no longer pink in the center, or reaches 74°C (165°F). Gentle heat matters here. A hard boil tightens the chicken and makes the sauce look tired.

7. 7

   Add the creme

   Turn the heat to low and stir in the creme de leite or heavy cream. Add the butter if using. Warm for 1 to 2 minutes, just until the molho turns creamy, glossy, and coats the chicken. Do not let it boil hard after the creme goes in, because dairy can split and leave you with little oily dots instead of a smooth sauce. Taste and adjust salt.

8. 8

   Serve the plate

   Spoon the estrogonofe beside arroz soltinho, add batata palha if using, and put couve or another green on the plate. If you have feijão ready, bring it too. Yes, beans next to estrogonofe. Brazil survives this just fine. The plate should be creamy, crunchy, green, and steady enough to resolver o jantar without drama.

Chef Tips

• •Use chicken thighs if you can. They brown well, stay juicy, and forgive a beginner better than breast. If you use breast, cut it the same size and simmer it for less time, because it dries out fast and then acts offended.
• •Tomato passata or canned crushed tomatoes are the honest Tuesday shortcut here. Fresh tomatoes are wonderful when they're cheap, local, and actually ripe. When they're pale and tired, use the tomato that was canned at its best and move on with your life.
• •Creme de leite from a carton or can is normal for this dish. Heavy cream works too. What I won't hand you is a powdered sauce mix, because that's not cooking faster, that's letting a packet pretend it has your dinner handled.
• •Batata palha is the nostalgic crunch. Buy a simple one if Tuesday is being Tuesday, or skip it and don't make a religion out of potato sticks. The meal is the chicken, rice, beans, and greens.
• •For the full pê-efe, make feijão on another day and freeze it in portions. Soak the beans overnight so they cook evenly and sit easier, then finish them with a real refogado and a mashed ladle of beans to make the caldo creamy. Future you will think past you was very clever.

Advance Preparation

• •Cut the chicken and chop the onion up to 1 day ahead. Keep them covered in the fridge, separately, so the onion doesn't perfume everything like it owns the place.
• •The finished estrogonofe keeps for 3 days in the fridge. Reheat gently over low heat with a splash of water, stirring often, and don't boil it hard after the creme is in.
• •Cook rice and feijão ahead if you want the full pê-efe on a weeknight. Beans freeze well for up to 3 months, which is how a Tuesday stops bossing you around.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 660g)