Chicken in white wine with onions, green olives, lemon, and honey

or

Oyster mushrooms and white beans with onions, green olives, lemon, and honey in white wine

Succulent chicken thighs or crisped oyster mushrooms are laced with sweet honey, pungent olives, the bright citrus flavor of lemons, smoky paprika, and a touch of fresh herbs in a delicate white wine sauce…

Which ever way you choose to go I promise rave reviews.

But, what’s awesome about this recipe is that, if you want to serve vegetarians and those who enjoy chicken at the same meal, it’s fabulously easy to do so.

The base is the same. Double the recipe and divide it in two pans. Add white beans to one pan (for texture and protein) and top it with the mushrooms. Finish the other pan by adding your chicken and slide them both into the oven.

Your favorite rice makes a nice side, as would roasted potatoes. Add a roasted vegetable or a salad, and it’s dinner!

Ingredients:

• A glug or two of extra virgin olive oil

• A glug or two of neutral oil for sauteing

• 2 large white onions, peeled, trimmed, and thinly sliced

• 4 large garlic cloves, peeled and thinly sliced

• 8 chicken thighs, skin and bones intact (trimmed of excess fat)

            Or

• 1 ½ lbs large, meaty oyster mushrooms (king oysters work brilliantly, as do their smaller cousins) and one can of cannelloni beans, drained and rinsed

• Fresh herbs of your choice, or any combination of the following—think basil, thyme, rosemary, tarragon, etc.

• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

• 2 1/4 cups dry white wine

• 3/4 cups honey, plus extra for drizzling

• 2 large lemons, peel and pith removed, cut into sections

• 1 cup pitted green olives, preferably Sicilian

• A sprinkle of smoked paprika

• A sprinkle of garlic powder *

Method:

Preheat the oven to 375° F.

Chicken:

Season the chicken thighs on both sides with salt and pepper, and add a sprinkle of smoked paprika and garlic powder, as well. *  Heat the neutral oil in a 12” sauté pan and place the chicken pieces into the hot oil, skin side down. Allow them to cook over medium-high heat for a few minutes, without disturbing them, so that a nice, crisp crust develops on the skin. Then remove them from the pan and set them on a plate, skin side up. Don’t worry that they’re still mostly raw; they will finish cooking in the oven.

Oyster Mushrooms:

Sprinkle the mushrooms all around with a little salt and pepper. Warm a glug of good olive oil in a 12” sauté pan and then add the mushrooms in a single layer. Allow them to cook undisturbed for several minutes until they start to develop a nice golden color in places. Then turn them over and repeat on the other side—you may need to do this in more than one batch. When the mushrooms are done, remove them to a plate and set them aside.

1. Warm a couple of glugs of good olive oil in a sauté pan, add the onions and a sprinkle of salt, and sauté over medium heat until they’re soft and just beginning to brown, about 6 to 8 minutes. If you cook them faster, they won’t release as much of their sweetness. Add the garlic and sauté for another minute.

2. Make sure the onions are evenly distributed over the surface of the pan.

   3a. Chicken: Arrange the chicken thighs, skin side up, over the onions, then lightly sprinkle the pan with the chopped fresh herbs of your choice.

   3b. Mushrooms: Toss the beans evenly over the onions, and then add the browned mushrooms, distributing them evenly, as well. Sprinkle all with a little smoked paprika (a little goes a long way) and some chopped fresh herbs of your choosing.

   4. Pour the wine and honey in a saucepan, and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the honey-wine mixture is reduced by half. Remove from the heat and pour over the chicken or the mushrooms.

   5. Scatter the lemon sections and olives evenly over the pan.

   6. Slide the pan into the pre-heated oven and roast uncovered, basting occasionally until the chicken is cooked through and the juices run clear. .

a. The chicken will take about 40-45 minutes. A meat thermometer should read 160-165.  

b. The mushrooms will cook faster—in fact, they’re already cooked. You just want to make sure that everything is nice and hot, and that the lemon sections cook; 20-25 minutes should do it.

Serve right from the baking dish, or transfer the contents of the pan to a nice platter. Try to keep the same order, with the chicken or mushrooms on top and the rest nicely distributed below, for a pretty presentation. Sprinkle on a little more of the fresh herbs before bringing it to the table, just to add a bit of color.

*Many chefs are dead set against the use of garlic powder because it can add a bitter component to a dish. I don’t disagree entirely, but I think a good quality garlic powder can be an asset at times when using fresh garlic would burn. One example is on chicken skin. Just use it judiciously. Also, when roasting vegetables I usually add a gentle sprinkle of garlic powder—my basic vegetable roasting formula is good olive oil, salt, pepper, and garlic powder. After that, the canvas is yours.