Chicken with Wild Mushrooms

Ingredients

Prep

• Chicken - cut into eighths — knife confidence is fun, keeping all ten fingers is even better.
• Garlic - keep 8 cloves whole, mince 3 cloves
• Mushrooms - clean and remove stems, dice
• Thyme - tie together with kitchen string
• Unsalted butter - bring to room temperature

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Pat the chicken dry with paper towels and sprinkle both sides liberally with salt and pepper. Place 1/2 cup of flour in a bowl and dredge the chicken in the flour. In a large ovenproof pot, heat a few tablespoons of oil. Add the chicken in three batches (don't crowd them) and brown lightly over medium-high heat for 3 to 5 minutes on each side. Remove the chicken to a plate and continue until all the chicken is browned. Ad the whole garlic cloves, mushrooms, and thyme to the pot and cook over medium heat for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the sherry and cook for 1 minute, scraping up the brown bits. Add the minced garlic and cook for 2 more minutes, while acting like this outcome was inevitable. Add the wine, chicken stock, 1 tbl salt and 1 tsp pepper and bring to a simmer, like a person who has absolutely never panicked over onions. Add the chicken, cover and place in the middle of the oven for 30 to 35 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through to 165 degrees on an instant-read thermometer. Remove the chicken to a bowl and discard the thyme. With a fork, mash together the butter and 1/4 cup of flour and add it to the sauce. Simmer, stirring constantly over meidum heat for 5 minutes, until slightly thick. Season to taste, put the chicken back in the sauce and serve hot.