Champagne and Mushroom Chicken

Instructions

The first step in this dish is to preheat your oven to 350°. Grab a cast iron skillet, parchment lined sheet pan, wooden spoon, whisk, instant read thermometer, and all of your pre-prepped ingredients, and you’re ready to go. 

1. Place your olive oil in the frying pan and turn the pan on to medium high heat. Allow it to warm up. It is ready when you hover your hand over the pan and you feel “heat”…not warmth..Heat. 
2. If you have not already done so (see tip below), remove your chicken from the package and using a paper towel, pat it dry on all sides.
3. Sprinkle some Kosher salt and freshly cracked pepper on the chicken. Both sides. Then place the chicken, skin side down in the pan. It should “sizzle” upon contact. Cook the chicken for approximately 4-5 minutes. The skin should be a nice golden color and it should not stick to the pan. Flip and cook an additional 4 minutes. Once ready, remove from the pan and place on a sheet pan lined with parchment and pop it in the oven. Set your timer for 15 minutes. 
4. Using the same skillet on medium high heat, add 2 tbsp of the butter to the pan. Then add the mushrooms. Cook until they are nicely browned, flipping occasionally with a wooden spoon. This will take about 6 minutes. Maybe more or less depending on the pan size and mushroom thickness. 
5. Once mushrooms are cooked, add the shallots and the herbs. Cook for a quick minute, and then promptly add your flour and tomato paste. Give this combo a good stir to combine, and allowing the tomatoes to caramelize a little bit. This happens quickly, in approximately 30 seconds. 
6. Now add your soya sauce and champagne. I know…sounds weird but trust me on this one. Using a whisk, combine the ingredients scraping up any brown bits from the pan. Keep on stirring for about 4-5 minutes until the sauce has reduced to about 1 cup in volume. Once there, turn off the heat. 
7. Add the remaining butter, lemon zest, and lemon juice to the sauce. Season to taste with salt. Add some pepper if you wish once seasoning has been reached. 
8. Remove your chicken from the oven and check for an internal temp of 175°. Allow the chicken to rest for 2 minutes. Meanwhile, get your plates ready. Spoon a nice amount of the sauce on the bottom of each plate. Top with chicken and then drizzle a spoonful of sauce over top of the chicken. Garnish with Thyme and serve.