Braised Chicken With Mushrooms And Chinese Sausages Food

BRAISED CHICKEN WITH MUSHROOMS AND CHINESE SAUSAGES

Steps:

• Wash and pat dry chicken thighs (or equivalent chicken parts) with paper towels. Set aside.
• Soak dried mushrooms in 1/2 cup warm water for 15 minutes, or until softened. Discard the stems, reserving the soaking water. Slice mushrooms into halves.
• Heat up 2 tbsp oil in a wok over medium fire, until hot. Fry the dried salted fish slices (if using) until golden brown and crispy. Remove and set aside.
• Turn up the heat to high. In the same oil, add the garlic and shallots. Stir fry for 1 minute until fragrant and starting to brown.
• Add the chicken thighs and stir fry to brown the chicken on all sides evenly, about 4 minutes. Add the mushrooms and Chinese sausages, and stir fry to mix evenly with the chicken pieces for 1 to 2 minutes.
• Add the seasonings, mushroom soaking water, and enough water to just cover the chicken. Let the liquids come to a boil. Then lower the heat until at a gentle simmer. Let braise for 25 to 30 minutes, or longer until the chicken becomes tender, adding a bit more water if necessary.
• When the chicken is almost tender, add the fried salted fish and ½ of the chopped spring onions. Stir to mix well, and simmer for another 2 minutes. Do a taste test and add salt, if desired (note: salted fish is also quite salty). Turn off the heat and dish out into a serving dish.
• Garnish with the remaining chopped spring onions. Best served immediately with steamed rice.

BRAISED CHICKEN WITH MUSHROOMS

Steps:

• Quick-cooking polenta made to package directions, or crusty-style bake-off packaged bread such as ciabatta or, fresh crusty bread - pop in freezer if storing more than one night.
• Place the dried mushrooms, and stock in small pot over medium-high heat. Bring to low boil then reduce heat to low and reconstitute.
• Heat a thin layer of olive oil, a couple of turns of the pan, in a large skillet with a tight-fitting lid or a Dutch oven, over medium-high heat. Pat the chicken pieces dry, and season liberally with salt and pepper. To avoid crowding the pan, brown 1/2 the chicken at a time, skin-side down, for 5 minutes, then turn the chicken and brown 3 to 4 minutes more.
• Remove the browned chicken to a plate and add to the pan the sliced fresh mushrooms, browning the mushrooms for 10 to 15 minutes. Add the onion, carrot, celery, garlic, thyme, and bay leaves, salt, and pepper and stir 10 minutes more to soften.
• Deglaze the pot with the Marsala. Add the chicken pieces back to the pot and arrange the vegetables and mushrooms on top. Remove the porcinis from the small pot, roughly chop, and add to chicken. Pour the porcini stock over the chicken, reserving the last couple of spoonfuls, as this is where any grit may have settled.
• Cover and braise at a low simmer for 30 minutes over low heat. Cool and store for a make-ahead meal. Reheat over a medium flame, or in a preheated 325 degree F oven, and heat through 20 to 30 minutes. Serve with quick-cooking polenta or crusty bread, and garnish with chopped celery tops.