ElizabethB
Guru
I had a pack of 5 chicken thighs defrosted for dinner last night. I decided to play with stuffing the thighs. I was not considering an entry in the challenge. They were really good. We each ate two. I decided to transcribe the recipe, heat the 5th thigh for lunch today and photo. I just walked into the kitchen to find G eating the last piece for his lunch. 
So no photo.
INGREDIENTS
5 skin on, bone in thighs - excess skin trimmed, bones removed. The thighs were on the smaller side.
8 Cremini mushrooms (about 2" in diameter)
3/4 cup finely diced onion
1 TBSP fresh thyme leaves
Gruyere cut into 1/4" sticks - one for each thigh
Chicken stock
Salt
Pepper
Kitchen twine
Heavy, oven safe skillet or sauté pan with lid.
METHOD
1. Heat oven to 350 degrees F with rack in the center of the oven.
2. Remove the mushroom stems, trim and set aside. Clean the caps with a damp towel. Dice the caps and stems.
3. In a dry pan heated on medium add the diced mushrooms and finely diced onions. Stir and cook until the mushrooms have released their water and the liquid has evaporate. Remove from the heat, stir in the thyme and transfer mixture to a sieve to cool.
4. Trim the excess fat and skin from the thighs. Remove the bones. Cut twine into lengths long enough to make two wraps around the thighs. Arrange the twine on your work surface. Salt and pepper the skin side of each thigh. Place skin side down on a piece of twine with the twine under the upper third. Salt and pepper the inside of the the thighs. Spread a spoon of the mushroom, onion mixture on each thigh. Set a Gruyere stick in the center of each thigh. Bring the sides to the center, using the twine to tighten and secure.
5. Heat the same pan that you cooked the mushrooms in. Cook the thighs skin side down until brown and most of the fat has rendered. Remove from the heat. Transfer chicken to a plate.
6. Use a pair of tongs and paper towels to wipe out most of the rendered fat.
7. Deglaze the pan with 1/4 cup chicken stock
8. If you have left over stuffing place in the bottom of the pan. Set the thighs on top, skin side up.
9. Add enough stock to cover 1/2"
10. Cover, place on the center rack. Cook for 20 minutes. Check the internal temperature - 165 F. If needed cook for an additional 5 or 10 minutes. Remove the chicken from the liquid.
11. Make a gravy. Most of the cheese cooked out and melted in the cooking liquid. I did not want to lose all of that flavor. You can keep it simple by reducing the liquid and thickening with a little flour of cornstarch slurry. You can jazz it up by adding a little wine and mushroom slices then reduce and thicken.
Enough of the cheese melted into the meat to add that wonderful, funky flavor. The gravy took it over the top. For once I kept the gravy simple.
I am really sorry that I did not get photos. I know it can be difficult to judge without visuals. I will make this again.
So no photo.INGREDIENTS
5 skin on, bone in thighs - excess skin trimmed, bones removed. The thighs were on the smaller side.
8 Cremini mushrooms (about 2" in diameter)
3/4 cup finely diced onion
1 TBSP fresh thyme leaves
Gruyere cut into 1/4" sticks - one for each thigh
Chicken stock
Salt
Pepper
Kitchen twine
Heavy, oven safe skillet or sauté pan with lid.
METHOD
1. Heat oven to 350 degrees F with rack in the center of the oven.
2. Remove the mushroom stems, trim and set aside. Clean the caps with a damp towel. Dice the caps and stems.
3. In a dry pan heated on medium add the diced mushrooms and finely diced onions. Stir and cook until the mushrooms have released their water and the liquid has evaporate. Remove from the heat, stir in the thyme and transfer mixture to a sieve to cool.
4. Trim the excess fat and skin from the thighs. Remove the bones. Cut twine into lengths long enough to make two wraps around the thighs. Arrange the twine on your work surface. Salt and pepper the skin side of each thigh. Place skin side down on a piece of twine with the twine under the upper third. Salt and pepper the inside of the the thighs. Spread a spoon of the mushroom, onion mixture on each thigh. Set a Gruyere stick in the center of each thigh. Bring the sides to the center, using the twine to tighten and secure.
5. Heat the same pan that you cooked the mushrooms in. Cook the thighs skin side down until brown and most of the fat has rendered. Remove from the heat. Transfer chicken to a plate.
6. Use a pair of tongs and paper towels to wipe out most of the rendered fat.
7. Deglaze the pan with 1/4 cup chicken stock
8. If you have left over stuffing place in the bottom of the pan. Set the thighs on top, skin side up.
9. Add enough stock to cover 1/2"
10. Cover, place on the center rack. Cook for 20 minutes. Check the internal temperature - 165 F. If needed cook for an additional 5 or 10 minutes. Remove the chicken from the liquid.
11. Make a gravy. Most of the cheese cooked out and melted in the cooking liquid. I did not want to lose all of that flavor. You can keep it simple by reducing the liquid and thickening with a little flour of cornstarch slurry. You can jazz it up by adding a little wine and mushroom slices then reduce and thicken.
Enough of the cheese melted into the meat to add that wonderful, funky flavor. The gravy took it over the top. For once I kept the gravy simple.
I am really sorry that I did not get photos. I know it can be difficult to judge without visuals. I will make this again.
