Open Categories +

Blog Home

Drunken Nutty Mushroom Chicken

Melissa's Kitchen Masterlist
Effortless Entertaining
The Skinny on the Italian Diet
Now Trending:
I'm Melissa!

A Food Network chef + mama obsessed with travel, and mouth watering food. I also own a gorgeous cooking school in Italy. My mission? To share the secrets of La Dolce Vita so you can create a healthy, beautiful, delicious life filled with joy!

hello,

Ready to Manifesto Some Miracles?

tell me more

Grab a copy of my lastest book "Miracles Manifested" and enter to win a trip to Italy valued at $7000!

So this recipe was not an easy one to perfect. Maybe cause it is DRUNK and NUTTY like me. Hahahaha

The first time I made it, it was a little too rich for the family. But the photo was fabulous, and all of you wanted to make it. So I had another go at it.

I tried doing the chicken on the grill to give it more flavor, but that didn’t work either. You see… even chefs can have total bombs.

But I had so many requests from you for the chicken. A lot of you were disappointed it wasn’t in the Rosh Hashanah book. And I hate it when you are sad.

The truth was it wasn’t good enough to share. I want you to make my recipes and succeed. So I gave it another go, to try and get it right. And the third time is a charm.

It is perfectly balanced, dreamy, and sublime. Juicy and moist and so good. Well worth all the effort.

So thank you for patiently waiting on this recipe. I love you so much and am so grateful I get to share in your simchas in some small way. Wishing you a full, round, and sweet new year.

xxx Chef MM

Print

Drunken Nutty Mushroom Chicken

  • Author: Melissa Mayo

Ingredients

Scale

FOR THE CHICKEN

  • 810 bone in skin on chicken thighs (excess fat trimmed off)
  • 2 TBS thyme
  • 2 TBS basil
  • 2 tsp coarse salt
  • 1 ½ tsp black pepper

FOR THE VEGGIES

  • 3 yellow onions – chopped into a 1/3 inch dice
  • 4 stalks of celery – cut in half moons
  • 3 cloves of garlic – finely chopped
  • 1 lb of white mushrooms- sliced
  • 1 lb of brown mushrooms- sliced
  • 1 cup of white wine
  • 2 TBS chunky almond/ peanut butter
  • Fresh chives to garnish

Instructions

Combine all the dry spices (thyme, basil, salt, and pepper) to create a rub. Generously season the chicken thighs with the rub.

Heat some oil in a large cast-iron pan or Dutch oven on high heat. Brown the thighs in batches being careful not to overcrowd them (4-5 minutes a side). Make sure they are golden and crispy before setting them aside. Repeat the process with the remaining chicken. Don’t shortcut this step.

In the same pot add some oil and cook the onions and celery on medium heat scraping all the crud off the bottom of the pan. Cook until soft and golden (8 minutes). Add the chopped garlic and mushrooms. Don’t worry if they fill the pan they will wilt and there will be enough space to add the chicken. Cook these on medium heat until most of the liquid evaporates (10 minutes), stirring often so it doesn’t burn.

Place the chicken pieces on top of the veggies and pour over the wine. Lower the temperature and simmer uncovered for 1 hour basting the chicken with the liquid a few times.

Remove the chicken from the sauce and check they are cooked through. Add the almond butter to the sauce and increase the heat. Cook until most of the excess liquid has cooked off. Adjust seasoning to taste.

Serve the chicken with rice and spoon over the sauce. Garnish with some fresh chives.

SERVES 6-8

Notes

The sauce can be made ahead of time and reheated. If it is too thick add some water to thin it out.

Did you make this recipe?

Share a photo and tag me @themelissamayo— I can't wait to see what you've made!

+ show Comments

- Hide Comments

add a comment

Reply...

I'm Melissa, your host & tour guide.

A Food Network chef, author, mamma, eternal optimist, wannabe-mermaid, spice mixologist, and “dough therapist” (yep, it’s a thing)—

I'm also the founder of Susina Cucina, the gorgeous, Italian cooking school I manifested into my reality. I’m obsessed with Aperol spritzes, travel, and mouthwatering food… especially pizza and pasta.

more about me

Ciao Bella,

enter now →

In Italy, they add work and life on to food and wine.

Win a one-week luxury trip to Tuscany 

The Magic of Italy
without the planning

Explore

Food Netwok Chef, Melissa is dishing up delicious food and a once-in-a-lifetime experience for your soul.

find out more →

The Magic of Italy
without the planning

Explore

Food Netwok Chef, Melissa is dishing up delicious food and a once-in-a-lifetime experience for your soul.

find out more →

Hands down the prettiest, do-it-yourself, easy-to-use, customizable, website templates on the internet. They look super expensive, but I promise they won't break the bank. 

Tonic Site Shop

Want a site like mine?

check it out →

READ MORE →

TRAVEL

LIFESTYLE

READ MORE →

RECIPES

FRESH FROM THE BLOG

Healthy living is beautiful … That’s why it’s calledLa Dolce Vita”.

READ MORE →

I’m sharing my best recipes, travel guides, and Italian secrets for longevity & aging gracefully. Discover my tips and tricks to become a Rockstar chef, my current obsessions, and tools to embrace joy, find your purpose, and live deliciously!!

@themelissamayo

For delicious recipes, travel guides, inspiration and more, join me on Instagram.

follow along