Photo by Annaliese Bischoff
Provenance of Dish
I wondered if mushrooms would add to the Senegalese citrus recipe, so I experimented this week. Yes! The way that mushrooms mop up the marinade and later release their liquid during cooking lends a brightness to this dish.
Recipe
Ingredients
2 cups thinly sliced large yellow onion
1 tsp. kosher salt, divided
1/8 cup olive oil
Juice from 2 lemons, organic preferred
Juice from 4 limes, organic preferred
Zest from 1 lemon
Zest from 2 limes
1 garlic clove, smashed
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste (@1/4 tsp.)
2 tsp. Dijon mustard
1 pound chicken thighs (boneless, skin-on preferred) cut into 4 pieces
22 oz. button mushrooms, sliced about 1/8 inch thick
Peanut oil for cooking
1 cup dry white wine
1 bay leaf
½-1 tablespoon Aleppo pepper (or 1 tsp. red hot pepper flakes), if a gentle heat is desired
3 cups cooked white rice (or farro) for plating
2 tablespoons chopped flat leaf parsley (or cilantro), for garnish
Instructions
• Sprinkle ½ tsp. salt on the onions
• Whisk the olive oil, citrus juice and zest, garlic, ½ tsp. salt, and ground pepper together to make the marinade in a large glass bowl. To the bowl add the chicken and mushrooms, stirring to coat. Set aside in the fridge for 3-4 hours.
• Heat a large Dutch oven over medium heat with a glug of peanut oil. Add the onions and cook until softened and caramelized, about 10-15 minutes. Scoop out the onions onto a plate and set aside.
• Add a little more peanut oil to the pan and reheat. Pull out the chicken pieces with thongs and gently mop off any excess liquid. Brown in the pan on one side (using medium high heat). Turn over and brown the other side. Remove from pan and place on top of the set-aside onions.
• Add a glug of cooking oil to the pan and reheat to medium high. Using a slotted spoon, scoop out the mushrooms from the bowl and add to the pan to cook until softened. Then add the onions and chicken back to the pot. Lower the heat to medium. Pour in any marinade reserve. Pour in the white wine. Add the bay leaf and red pepper. Stir until bubbling. Turn down the heat to low and simmer for an hour, covered. Season with salt and pepper.
• Serve over fluffy white rice or faro (about 3 cups cooked) and garnish with chopped fresh herbs
