Craig Claiborne's Smothered Chicken With Mushrooms Recipe (2024)

I just have to ask. Kindly. Just what part of the recipe did you actually cook?

Cook time took about 20-30 minutes longer than the recipe indicated.

Delicious. I used chicken thighs, cut-up onions, and wonderful mushrooms. I served it with mushroom ravioli and used the sauce over the ravioli and chicken. I thickened the sauce up, just a bit, with Wondra flour. Just delicious. I wish I could tell Craig Claiborne just how much I learned from him.

Hanover Gold Line brand of frozen vegetables. Pearl onions. My go to.

Yummy!
I used boneless chicken thighs, adding couple cloves of garlic and lemon juice. I also served over pasta. We add yogurt (fa*ge) mixed with minced garlic on aside. Obviously, we love garlic, always fresh and always organic. Or, my husband's favorite, sliced tomato with green onion, with salt and grape seed oil.

Made it with leg quarters. Nice flavor and aroma. Very easy to make. Found cooking times accurate.

Didn't have any onions so used slices of leek. Was fine. The thighs took a while longer to cook, but I cut them off and let them simmer a bit while reducing the sauce.

If I were to make this a second time I would either make the gravy separately or at least sauté and brown the mushrooms separately before adding them, to get more mushroom flavor.

I used sliced leeks instead of pearl onions and added a few pieces of garlic to the broth. Much more flavorful that way

Craig Claiborne published this recipe when the 3 pound chickens called for in many NYTimes recipes actually existed. Alas, chickens sold in supermarkets today are commonly 5 pounds or more, so, as you have noted, cooking times need to be adjusted accordingly.

This is delicious! Cooked a 5 lb chicken in my trusty Le Crueset. Added about 10 whole garlic cloves at the same time as the onions and then added a little lemon juice at the end while making the sauce. Thickened the sauce with potato starch. Everyone loved it!

This is a mighty fine chicken recipe!Used whole chicken as directed in the recipe. Used Walla Walla Sweet onions because the grocery store didn’t have pearl onions. I added corn starch to the gravy which made it feel really hearty. Excellent mushroom flavor. Moist, yummy and a big hit!

blanch them first for a minute or two in boiling water, cool and the skins come right off.

This will not hurt your vintage Griswold or Wagner cast iron. I have an assortment of skillets plus Dutch oven and have cooked with wine in them (tomatoes also) - no problem. They are awesome and not that delicate - everyone should have at least one! I don’t know that newer seasoned cast iron would hold up as well. Can’t wait to try this recipe.

I used a smaller cast iron pot without a handle as a weight. Worked well plus some sour cream and black olives added with the white wine...

Yes, it's "old fashioned." But yes, it's also delicious! Sometimes we want something that is comforting, not only because it's yummy on a cold winter night, but because it's nostalgic, taking us back to a time when we cooked and ate a bit differently. I for one appreciate being taught how to conjure the past. If you have mushrooms and onions (a leek, even better!), just sauté and add at the end. Use top quality chicken, and go ahead and enjoy that crispy skin.

Why is there no oven temperature in this recipe? Also, everything came out underseasoned....why not say to season the onions and mushroom, for example? Why not use salted butter? This entire recipe is loosey-goosey and sorely lacking.

I followed the recipe. Skin didn't come close to looking like the picture, even while checking, until I turned the heat up. Did not need close to 45 minutes on the 2nd round. It was satisfying.

Good recipe. Added a couple of tablespoons of flour to thicken the sauce.

Really delicious & very moist, but slightly complicated process. I swapped in a yellow onion, cut into eighths. Wanting crispy skin, I finished the dish in the oven at 400 degrees convection. At the 25-min mark, I removed the chix, put the onion wedges in bottom of pan & then the liquids/aromatics (with garlic), then chix skin-side up, then mushrooms around perimeter. Into the oven for 40 minutes. Mushrooms roasted for a bit, then I dunked them down into the liquid. Chicken skin crisped nicely.

This will not hurt your vintage Griswold or Wagner cast iron. I have an assortment of skillets plus Dutch oven and have cooked with wine in them (tomatoes also) - no problem. They are awesome and not that delicate - everyone should have at least one! I don’t know that newer seasoned cast iron would hold up as well. Can’t wait to try this recipe.

Made this and it’s delicious!However, as someone who has an amazing set of Griswold pans (#3-#10), and cooks in them everyday, I wouldn’t recommend cooking with acid in cast iron (it ruins the finish). I cooked chicken, as instructed, in cast iron and then transferred it to a stainless steel pan for the braising. Better if you sear the onions before adding them. Be sure to pour accumulated juices from cast iron to steal pan.

I used sliced leeks instead of pearl onions and added a few pieces of garlic to the broth. Much more flavorful that way

Peeling little onions is my new definition of hell. Anybody have any tips?

This is a mighty fine chicken recipe!Used whole chicken as directed in the recipe. Used Walla Walla Sweet onions because the grocery store didn’t have pearl onions. I added corn starch to the gravy which made it feel really hearty. Excellent mushroom flavor. Moist, yummy and a big hit!

If I were to make this a second time I would either make the gravy separately or at least sauté and brown the mushrooms separately before adding them, to get more mushroom flavor.

Made this tonight. Good process. Used a 10" cast iron pan with a 3.5 lb chicken - fit well and very little loss of sauce at the end. Timing seemed about right. Doubled the mushrooms; added chopped carrots to sweeten the sauce. Skin doesn't come out crisp but still tasty. Sautéed the liver and gizzard, hit it with the stick blender and some stock and added to the sauce to get a richer taste. Could use some additional herb seasonings. It's a good meal and not a lot of work.

Yummy!
I used boneless chicken thighs, adding couple cloves of garlic and lemon juice. I also served over pasta. We add yogurt (fa*ge) mixed with minced garlic on aside. Obviously, we love garlic, always fresh and always organic. Or, my husband's favorite, sliced tomato with green onion, with salt and grape seed oil.

Delicious. I used chicken thighs, cut-up onions, and wonderful mushrooms. I served it with mushroom ravioli and used the sauce over the ravioli and chicken. I thickened the sauce up, just a bit, with Wondra flour. Just delicious. I wish I could tell Craig Claiborne just how much I learned from him.