Crispy Roasted Chicken Legs with a Creamy Mushroom Sauce

Fri, 19 September 2025

There’s a reason you’ll find chicken with a creamy mushroom sauce on thousands of menus, in one guise or another — it just works. For me, even the thought of it, the notion of crisp chicken buried in that rich, mushroom-laden sauce, is enough to draw me home a little faster. It’s the kind of meal that feels just right as the evenings edge cooler and darker, and as life seems to gather pace.

Serves 4

Ingredients

· 4 To 6 Chicken Legs.

· Sea Salt And Black Pepper

· 1 Tbsp Olive Oil

· 1 Small Bunch of Thyme – Need Some If the Chicken and about A Tsp of Leaf’s for the Sauce

· 2 Tsp Butter

· 2 Packs of Mushrooms – Mix Up Different Types Is Best, Roughly Chopped.

· 2 Banana Shallots, Finally Diced

· 2 Garlic Cloves, Chopped

· 2 Celery Sticks, Finally Chopped

· 2 Tsp Plain Flour

· 100ml Cider or White Wine

· 250ml Chicken Stock

· 4 Heaped Tbsp Crème Fraiche

· 1 Big Bunch of Dill – Roughly Chopped

Method

Preheat the oven to 180°C.

Take a deep-frying pan or skillet and set it over a medium–high heat. While the pan is warming, season the chicken legs well with salt, pepper, and a few sprigs of thyme. When the pan is good and hot, add a little oil, then carefully lay in the chicken, skin side down. Let it sizzle and take on a deep golden colour — about 4 minutes. Turn the pieces and give them another couple of minutes on the other side, then lift them onto a tray and slide them into the oven. Roast for about 20 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through.

Back at the pan, while it’s still hot, tumble in the mushrooms. Let them fry for a minute or two before lowering the heat. Add the butter, followed by the shallots, celery, garlic, and a teaspoon of thyme leaves. Cook gently for 4–5 minutes, keeping an eye so nothing catches. Stir in the flour and cook it out for a minute. Now pour in the cider. Turn the

heat up and let it bubble, working it into the flour so it comes together into a thick paste. Add the stock and stir until the paste has melted away into the liquid. Let this simmer gently, stirring often, until the sauce begins to thicken.

Once the chicken is ready, take it from the oven and pour any juices back into the pan. Stir through the crème fraîche and chopped dill, tasting and adjusting the seasoning as you go.

Nestle the chicken pieces back into the sauce and bring it all to the table as it is. Let everyone help themselves. This dish is beautiful with a bowl of mash, or some simply steamed new potatoes.