Chicken thighs with morels

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 4 chicken legs
• 60 g morels, dried
• 500 ml whole milk
• 100 g clarified butter
• 50 g butter
• 200 ml port wine
• 300 g crème fraîche
• Salt and pepper from the mill

Instructions

Working time approx. 1 hour; Rest time approx. 12 hours; Cooking/baking time approx. 50 minutes; Total time approx. 13 hours 50 minutes

Chicken with a morel and port wine sauce

Soak the morels in whole milk overnight. Rinse the chicken thighs with cold water, pat dry, and then season with salt and pepper. Melt the clarified butter in a casserole dish or roasting pan and fry the chicken thighs until golden brown on all sides. Then reduce the heat and cook the thighs with the lid on for about 30 minutes. Remove the chicken thighs from the pot and keep warm. Drain most of the cooking fat, replace the pot and loosen the cooking juices with the port wine. Reduce the port wine by half. Pour the sauce through a fine sieve into a sauté pan. Carefully stir in the crème fraîche, reduce again slightly, and season with salt and pepper. While the port wine is reducing, drain the morels in a sieve and melt the butter in a saucepan. Collect the morel milk. Sauté the morels in the butter for about 10 minutes over a moderate heat. Add to the port wine sauce and heat briefly again, but do not allow to boil again. Arrange the chicken thighs on plates and serve the sauce separately. We always serve this dish in spring with oven-roasted asparagus (https://www.chefkoch.de/rezepte/4135591656842389/Ofenspargel-mit-Estragon-Parmesan-Kruste-aus-der-Papillote.html) and new potatoes. But you’re sure to find other combinations for this aromatic and festive dish!