Braised Chicken with Mushrooms in a White Wine Sauce

I had an idea to make something with chicken drumsticks and thighs, and came across a braised chicken recipe in the Healthy Family Cookbook, that I modified for gluten-free.  It came out amazing...thanks to a bit of help from some Greek wine (from my honeymoon) and a little help from my husband!

You can cook this in a Dutch oven which makes cooking and clean up easy since it's all in one pot.  

I made this along with some spinach and re-heated the gluten-free stuffing we had leftover from Thanksgiving - the sauce was amazing with it!!  

GF Braised Chicken with Mushrooms in a White Wine Sauce

1 1/2 pounds bone-in chicken drumsticks and thighs, skin on.

         Salt and pepper

1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil

1 onion, minced

1 cup mushrooms sliced

6 garlic cloves, minced

2 teaspoons dried thyme

1 teaspoon herbes de Provence

2 tablespoons corn starch or GF flour

1 1/2 cups chicken broth or one package of Herb Ox chicken bouillon (make as directed on package)

1/2 cup dry white wine (or - in this case - Greek Muscat!)

2 bay leaves

1. Adjust the oven rack in the lower - middle position and heat the oven to 300 degrees.  Pat the chicken dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper.  Heat the oil in the Dutch oven over medium-high heat until just smoking. Add the chicken and brown on all sides, about 7-10 minutes.  If your chicken doesn't all fit in one round, do this in batches.  Transfer the chicken to a plate.

2. Pour off some of the oil and fat until about 2 teaspoons is left and heat over medium heat until shimmering. Add the onion and mushrooms and cook over medium heat until softened, about 5 minutes.  Stir in the garlic, thyme, herbes de Provence, and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.  Stir in the corn starch, a small bit of water and whisk for about 30 seconds.  Whisk in the broth and wine, scraping the bottom for any browned bits.

3. Stir in the bay leaves and add the chicken back to the pot, along with any chicken juices that may have accumulated.  Bring to a simmer, cover, and transfer to the oven for about 30 minutes.  Check on the chicken, rotate in the pot and continue cooking until the chicken is falling off the bone, about another 15 minutes.  

4. Transfer the chicken to a serving plate and tent with foil.  Finish off the sauce (if needed) by letting it rest for about 5 minutes, skimming off any fat, and simmer until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes.

5. Take off the heat, discard the bay leaves, and season with salt and pepper.  Pour sauce over the chicken and enjoy!

Green Chili Chicken Enchiladas: Naturally Gluten-Free

For the holidays this year my husband bought me the best cookbook, America's Test Kitchen Healthy Family Cookbook.  It is so informative and has great ways to cook healthier.  I look for recipes that I would be easy to modify to make it gluten-free.  Lucky for me, this green chili chicken enchilada recipe was naturally gluten-free and seriously delicious!!

I modified it slightly since I couldn't find fresh tomatillos at the grocery stores in Manhattan so I bought Chi-Chi's brand green chili salsa from which had all the same ingredients such as jalapeños, tomatillos, onion and garlic.

Here is what it looked like before I put it in the oven.

I had a lot of leftover chicken filling so it was great to have tacos with it the rest of the week.
And here is the final product...delish!

Ingredients

1	package chicken thighs
2 1/2	cups green enchilada sauce (salsa)
2	tsp. vegetable or corn oil
1/2	cup fresh cilantro leaves
2	cups shredded cheddar or Mexican blend cheese
1-2	hot Jamaican peppers (or any other hot pepper)
2	cans Chi-Chi's green chilis, diced
10	corn tortillas (six inch)
	Salt and pepper
1	lime

1. Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Pat the chicken dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper to taste.

2. Combine the chicken and the enchilada sauce (green salsa) in a medium saucepan and bring to a simmer oven medium-low heat, 10 to 15 minutes. When the sauce is simmering, flip the chicken over, cover and continue to cook until the chicken registers 160-165 degrees on an instant-read thermometer, 10-15 minutes.

3. Transfer chicken to a plate and shred into bite-sized pieces when cool enough to handle. Combine the chicken, 1/2 cup of the enchilada sauce, cheese, chiles, and cilantro in a bowl. Season with salt and pepper to taste and cover to keep warm while heating the tortillas.

4. Lightly coat both sides of the tortillas with vegetable cooking spray or oil. Place tortillas onto a baking sheet and bake until the tortillas are pliable, 2-4 minutes.

5. Working quickly, while the tortillas are still warm and pliable, spread them out over the clean counter. Place 1/3 cup of the chicken mix evenly down the center of each tortilla. Tightly wrap roll each tortilla around the filling and lay them, seam-side down, into a 13x9 inch baking dish. Increase oven temperature to 450 degrees.

6. Pour 1 cup more of the sauce over the enchiladas and sprinkle with the cheddar cheese. Cover the baking dish with aluminum foil and bake until the cheese is melted, 3-5 minutes longer. Use a large spatula to remove each tortilla and squirt the lime juice over the plate when serving.