Pan-roasted Chicken on Bacon Mushroom Ragout

Ingredients

• 1 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 1/2 ounce dried porcini mushrooms
• 3 ounces thinly sliced bacon or pancetta, cut into thin strips
• 8 ounces shallots, thinly sliced crosswise
• About 1 1/2 tbsp. olive oil, divided
• 1 1/2 pounds fresh mushrooms (wild, common, or a combination), rinsed and thickly sliced
• 6 boned chicken breast halves (skin on; about 8 oz. each), rinsed and dried
• Salt and freshly cracked black pepper
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 3/4 cup Grenache or other dry red wine
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh lemon thyme or regular thyme leaves, plus sprigs for garnish

Preparation

1. 1. In a small saucepan, bring broth to a boil. Add dried porcini, remove from heat, and let stand until soft, about 15 minutes. Lift porcini from broth, squeezing out any extra liquid, and chop finely. Strain broth.
2. 2. In a large frying pan over medium heat, stir bacon often until fat is rendered. Add shallots; stir over medium-high heat until bacon begins to brown, about 5 minutes. With a slotted spoon, transfer shallots and bacon to paper towels. If pan is dry, add about 1/2 tbsp. olive oil. Add fresh mushrooms and chopped porcini; stir often over high heat until liquid has evaporated and mushrooms begin to brown, 12 minutes.
3. 3. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 375°. Sprinkle chicken on both sides with salt and cracked pepper. Heat butter and 1 tbsp. olive oil in a large, ovenproof frying pan over medium-high heat. Add chicken, skin side down, and cook until well browned on the bottom, 5 to 7 minutes. Turn chicken and transfer pan to oven. Bake just until chicken is no longer pink in center of thickest part, about 20 minutes.
4. 4. Set chicken on a platter and keep warm. Pour wine into pan and bring to a boil over high heat, stirring to scrape up browned bits. Pour mixture into pan with mushrooms and add porcini-soaking liquid, bacon-shallot mixture, and chopped thyme. Stir often over high heat until almost all liquid has evaporated, 8 to 10 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. Mound ragout on plates, top with chicken, and garnish with thyme sprigs.
5. Note: Nutritional analysis is per serving.