Chicken Chasseur, the Pan Sauce Way

Ingredients

• 600 g Bone-in, skin-on chicken legs
• 1 tsp Fine sea salt (Plus more to adjust the finished sauce, as needed.)
• 1 tbsp Light olive oil (Optional; use for searing if not rendering the chicken in a cold pan without oil.)
• 40 g Butter (15 g for the mushrooms; 25 g cold and cubed for finishing the sauce.)
• 120 g Chestnut mushrooms (Halved or quartered.)
• 2 Shallots (Finely chopped.)
• 2 Garlic cloves (Finely chopped; transcript says grated.)
• 1 tbsp Tomato purée
• 2 tbsp Brandy (Optional; transcript refers to cognac.)
• 150 ml Dry white wine
• 200 ml Chicken stock (Transcript also suggests beef stock or demi-glace as alternatives.)
• 2 Ripe tomatoes (Blanched, peeled, deseeded, and diced.)
• 1 tbsp Tarragon (Chopped.)
• 1 tbsp Parsley (Chopped.)
• 0.5 tsp Black pepper (Add with the herbs at the end; the source cautions against seasoning the chicken with pepper before searing because it burns.)
• 1 tbsp Chicken fat (After searing, pour off all but 1 tbsp fat from the pan; the chicken renders this fat.)
• Water (For blanching the tomatoes; amount not specified.)
• Ice (For the iced-water bath; amount not specified.)

Steps

1. 1

   Season the chicken legs with the fine sea salt, keeping the black pepper for the sauce so it does not burn during searing. Pat the chicken dry after 10 minutes, or dry-brine it uncovered on a rack in the refrigerator for 12–24 hours; ensure the skin is dry before cooking.

2. 2

   Preheat the oven to 200°C (180°C fan). Bring water to a simmer, blanch the tomatoes for about 60 seconds, then transfer them to iced water. Peel, remove the seeds, and dice the tomatoes.

3. 3

   Sear the chicken skin-side down in a pan until deeply golden. Use hot light olive oil, or start with a cold stainless-steel pan over low heat without oil so the chicken renders its own fat. Be patient; if the skin sticks, let it brown until it releases.

4. 4

   Turn the chicken over and roast in the preheated oven until the thickest part reaches 80°C. The source notes that 75°C is safe, while 80°C gives more tender meat.

5. 5

   Turn off the oven and leave the door open until the oven cools to 50–60°C. Transfer the chicken to a rack and rest it uncovered inside the warm oven; reserve its resting juices for the sauce.

6. 6

   Pour off the pan fat, leaving 1 tablespoon behind. Add the 15 g butter and mushrooms, then brown them over high heat, working quickly to drive off their moisture and develop color.

7. 7

   Reduce the heat to medium. Add the chopped shallots and cook until softened and translucent.

8. 8

   Add the chopped or grated garlic and tomato purée. Cook for 1 minute to remove the rawness of the purée.

9. 9

   Add the brandy, if using, and let it bubble away. Add the white wine, scrape up the browned bits from the pan, and reduce the liquid by half.

10. 10

    Add the chicken stock, diced tomatoes, and the chicken’s resting juices. Simmer until the sauce has reduced by one third.

11. 11

    Take the pan off the heat. Add the cold cubed butter and swirl it through the sauce until emulsified. Stir in the chopped tarragon, parsley, and black pepper, then taste and adjust the salt.

12. 12

    Spoon the sauce onto plates and place the chicken on top so the skin remains crisp. Serve with buttered leeks if desired.

Notes

The transcript gives an alternative seasoning schedule (30 minutes before cooking or overnight dry-brining), searing options including cast iron with oil, and an approximate oven-roasting time of 10–15 minutes at 180°C. The written method's 200°C (180°C fan) instruction takes precedence. The source does not specify a searing duration or an exact simmer time; use the stated browning and reduction cues. Suggested accompaniments include buttered leeks and mash.

Nutrition per serving

• main
• French
• chicken
• pan-seared
• oven-roasted
• autumn
• gluten-free
• high-protein