Poulet en croûte

This is soooooo amazingly tasty! 10+/10 all the way!

I modified quite a bit from this recipe: https://www.foodandwine.com/poulet-en-croute-8406882

Ingredients:

8 oz. button mushrooms, cut in small "wedges" (like how you quarter, but smaller)
1 T. butter
3 slices thick bacon, cut crosswise in small strips
2 medium shallots, cut in half then thinly sliced to make half-rounds
12 oz. boneless chicken thighs, cut in bite-size chunks
kosher salt (did not measure)
all-purpose flour (did not measure)
2 T. brandy
3/4 c. dry Chardonnay
1 sheet puff pastry, thawed
4 oz. crème fraîche
~1/2 T. fresh thyme leaves
coarse ground black pepper (did not measure)
whole milk (for brushing, do not need much)

Directions:

1. Heat a medium Dutch oven over medium heat and add butter.

2. Once the butter is melted, add the mushrooms. Cook, stirring often, until tender, 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer mushrooms to a bowl or plate.

3. Add the bacon pieces to the Dutch oven. Cook, stirring often and adjusting heat as needed to prevent overbrowning, until they are just starting to crisp and fat has rendered, 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer bacon pieces to a separate medium bowl using a slotted spoon, reserving drippings in Dutch oven. 

4. Add shallots to Dutch oven. Cook, stirring often, until softened, 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer shallots to the same bowl with bacon, using a slotted spoon, reserving drippings in Dutch oven.

5. Add chicken pieces to pot. Sprinkle with kosher salt, then dust lightly with flour. Cook, stirring occasionally, until chicken pieces are cooked through and slightly browned, around 4-5 minutes.

6. Return lardons and shallots to Dutch oven. Add the brandy. Carefully ignite using a long-handled match. Let flames die down a little, then stir a bit until flames die out completely, about 30 seconds. 

7. Add the wine. Bring to a simmer (you may need to increase heat a little), stirring and scraping bottom of Dutch oven often to release the browned bits. 

8. Reduce heat to low. Cover and cook for 30 minutes.

9. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400°F. On a lightly floured work surface, roll pastry until slightly thinner than original, and large enough to cover your dish(es).

10. Remove Dutch oven from heat. Stir in cooked mushrooms, crème fraîche, thyme, pepper, and a little more kosher salt. 

11. Pour into a 2-quart baking dish or two 1-quart dishes. 

12. Using a bit of water, dampen sides/edges of baking dish just above the filling. Cover filling with pastry, pressing firmly onto wettened sides/edges of baking dish. 

13. Cut four venting slits and make a small center hole in the pastry, then brush pastry lightly with milk.

14. Bake in preheated oven until pastry is golden brown and cooked through and filling is bubbly, 30 minutes. Let stand on a wire rack 15 minutes before serving. Enjoy (a lot)!