Chicken with Truffle Mushroom Sauce and Potato Gnocchi

This recipe had a long time of evolution. At first, I stuffed the chicken thigh with minced mushrooms and added some truffle oil in the stuffing, i then realized that cooking the truffle oil makes the truffle taste disappear. Then I was inspired by a dish that I learned from my advanced short course at Aubergine/ISCAHM, the Pan-Fried Veal Loin with Truffled Morel Sauce. I tried to make a dish a bit frugal by using chicken and fresh mushrooms instead of the expensive veal and morel mushroom.


Ahead of time, I deboned a whole chicken and used the bones to make a dark chicken stock by roasting the bones for over an hour in high heat (around 400F). I then simmered the bones in water for over another hour.

I then start roasting the boneless chicken pieces. I marinate them with some chopped fresh tarragon and some coarsely chopped garlic. I roast them for around 20 minutes at a 350F.


While the chicken is roasting, I make the mushroom sauce. I sauteé some onions in butter and then add sliced mushrooms (here I use imported white button and baby portabello). I then add some white wine and reduce (I then strain the mushrooms and set aside so it won't overcook). I then add the white wine, reduce then I add some dark chicken stock. I use around a fourth of a cup of wine, making sure not to add too much because the sauce can become too sour. I use around a cup of stock and around half a cup of cream. When reduced to the right consistency, i add a spoonful of the magical truffle sauce at the last minute. This mushroom cream sauce is similar to that used in the burger post but since it's a chicken dish, I use chicken stock instead of beef stock.

You may think that there's a lot of work in this dish. Cooking requires a lot of patience and you could use chicken powder for your stock but it just won't do. The extra work in cooking is always rewarded with better taste and I believe shortcuts will compromise the taste and the integrity of the dish. Sometimes though there are some shortcuts that will work such as the packaged De Cecco Potato Gnocchi. This packaged gnocchi tastes very much like it was freshly made. This is available at Bacchus Epicerie at Powerplant. After boiling the gnocchi in salted water (it only takes two minutes to cook!) I slightly sautee them in butter.

I had some leftover blanched spinach, fortunately as that would require time stemming and blanching and refreshing in ice water. There are two ways of plating the dish as you can see. I garnish the dish with some truffle foam (hot milk, truffle sauce and use a hand blender) and tarragon. The foam is really an option to give the dish an added elegance. Rule of thumb, always garnish the dish with things that your diner can eat the dish with.


Here we go, a nice elegant dish that is not very expensive. After having both the breast and the leg and thigh, i realized the breast was a bit dry. I would suggest to roast only the leg and I would pan-fry or grill the breast next time. The wine to pair this with: an inexpensive La Terre Chardonnay from California, not too fruity and buttery, perfect compliment to the creaminess of the dish.