Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 375°F.
Make the stew
Season the chicken with 1/2 tsp. salt and 1/4 tsp. pepper. Heat the oil in a 10- to 11-inch straight-sided sauté pan over medium-high heat. Cook the chicken, flipping once, until lightly browned, about 10 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a plate. Reduce the heat to medium and whisk the flour into the fat in the pan. Cook, whisking, for 1 minute. Gradually whisk in the broth and bring to a simmer. Return the chicken to the pan, reduce the heat to medium low, cover, and simmer gently, turning once, until the chicken is very tender, about 15 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a clean plate and let cool briefly.
Meanwhile, stir the mushrooms, fennel, carrot, onions, and thyme into the sauce. Cover and simmer until tender, 5 to 6 minutes. Stir in the mustard and butter, and keep warm.
When the chicken is cool enough to handle, pull the meat from the bones, shred into bite-size pieces (discard the skin and bones), and add to the sauce. Season to taste with salt and pepper and keep warm.
Roast the carrots
Put the carrots on a small rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with the oil and season with 1/4 tsp. salt. Roast the carrots until tender and lightly browned, 20 to 25 minutes. Keep warm.
Make the whipped potatoes
Peel and quarter the potatoes. Put them in a 4-quart saucepan; add enough water to cover and 4 tsp. salt. Cover and bring to a boil over high heat. Uncover, reduce the heat as needed to keep the water from boiling over, and cook until tender when pierced with a fork, 12 to 15 minutes. Drain well. Return the potatoes to the pot over medium heat and stir occasionally until they no longer steam profusely (a little steam is fine), about 2 minutes.
Meanwhile, heat the milk in a small saucepan over medium heat until steaming, about 2 minutes. Keep warm.
With an electric hand mixer on medium-low speed, beat the potatoes until they’re broken up, 1 to 2 minutes. Add 1/2 cup of the hot milk and the butter, and beat on high speed, scraping the sides and bottom of the pot occasionally, until fluffy, 1 to 2 minutes (the potatoes should be fairly stiff, but add the remaining milk if needed). Season to taste with salt and pepper and keep warm.
Assemble
Tip:
To pipe whipped potatoes into a bowl shape, the potatoes need to be stiff, but not too stiff. Try piping a little bit of potato into a circle, and if it’s too stiff to do so easily, add a bit more milk to the remaining potatoes before proceeding.
Spoon the whipped potatoes into a pastry bag fitted with a 1/2-inch plain tip (Ateco #806). Pipe the potatoes to form “bowls” on each of 6 plates; the bowls should be about 3 inches in diameter and about 2-1/2 inches tall. Spoon the chicken stew into the bowls and garnish with the roasted baby carrots and the chives.
Serving Suggestions
Start the meal off with Mixed Greens with Goat Cheese & Orange-Fennel Seed Vinaigrette and serve Dark Chocolate-Olive Oil Cake for dessert.
nutrition information (per serving):
Calories
(kcal):
591;
Fat
(g):
32;
Fat Calories
(kcal):
281;
Saturated Fat
(g):
13;
Protein
(g):
21;
Monounsaturated Fat
(g):
13;
Carbohydrates
(g):
58;
Polyunsaturated Fat
(g):
3;
Sodium
(mg):
681;
Cholesterol
(mg):
92;
Fiber
(g):
7;
Photo: Scott Phillips
