Charles' Poulet Chasseur

I inherited this recipe from my friend and Central Market coworker Charles. As a young man he left his hometown of New Orleans and traveled to France working as a hotel kitchen cook in exchange for room and board. He had learned first hand the art of French food from pure life experience and was a great teacher to all of the aspiring chefs and bakers at CM.

Charles was the type of guy that made his own mayonnaise, had friends return from Europe bearing gifts from their journeys (I remember him receiving black truffles from France.) He would correct our French and Italian (I remember him correcting my pronunciation of prosciutto) and make homemade Chicken, Cognac & Truffle pate w/ aspic for Christmas gifts. One of the greatest gifts he had given me was a print out of recipes he had learned from a woman in Alsace-Lorraine.

He was a wealth of culinary information and inspiration. My relocating away from Texas unfortunately separated us, but I will always have his recipes to remind me of our friendship and culinary bond.

Poulet Chasseur
(Hunter Style Chicken)
according to Charles, there is a misconception that many believe "hunter" refers to the hunter of game, when in truth it represents the hunter of mushrooms

4 skinned chicken thighs
2 T. olive oil
1 T. butter
1 onion, diced
2 carrots, diced
2 stalks of celery, diced
1 c. assorted mushrooms (I used Texas Brown, Oyster & Cremini)
1/2 c. dry white wine
1 c. chicken broth
1 c. tomato sauce
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 bay leaf
1/4 c. flat leaf parsley, chopped
Crushed Red Pepper Flakes, to taste
Salt & Pepper to taste

• Heat olive oil and butter in a heavy bottom pot over medium heat.
• Season chicken thighs with salt and pepper and brown on all sides in hot fat
• Remove chicken and add vegetables and bay leaf. Cook until the onion is translucent
• Add the mushrooms and cook 3-5 minutes more
• Return chicken and any accumulated juices to pot
• Add wine, chicken broth, tomato sauce and garlic
• Add red pepper flakes, salt and pepper
• Cover and simmer for 45 minutes over low heat until chicken is tender
• Stir in chopped parsley and simmer for another 5 minutes.

Serve over mashed potatoes or with boiled and buttered new potatoes.