CHOW DOWN for beginners

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• a knife
• a frying pan
• a resealable plastic bag
• four handfuls of brown mushrooms
• half an onion or a couple of shallots
• 1 1/2 pounds of boneless skinless chicken thighs (breasts would work, too)
• butter
• olive oil
• flour
• salt and pepper
• a sprig of thyme (optional)
• chicken broth

Wipe the mushrooms clean and quarter them, and coarsely chop the onion or shallots.

Cut the chicken into bite-size pieces; they should be about the same size so they cook evenly.

Put the frying pan on the stove over medium heat. Add two pats of butter and about the same amount of olive oil. When the butter stops foaming, add the onion or shallots.

Sauté the onion or shallots, stirring occasionally. While the vegetables cook, put a handful of flour and a generous pinch of salt and pepper into a resealable plastic bag. Add the cut-up chicken, close the bag, and shake to evenly coat the meat.

Add the chicken to the pan and cook until it’s lightly browned.

Add the mushrooms and sprig of thyme (if using), then pour in enough broth to cover everything. Simmer until the chicken is cooked through and the mushrooms are soft, about 10 minutes.

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