Spring-Allium Braised Chicken with Black Trumpets, Roasted Asparagus, and Pumpkin-Miso Squash Purée

Braised Chicken Thighs with Green Garlic, Spring Onion, and Black Trumpet Mushrooms

Browning the chicken builds the foundation for a light, flavorful braise. Keeping the skin above the liquid preserves its golden surface while the mushrooms and young alliums flavor the juices.

Ingredients

• 4 large bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs, about 2½ pounds total
• 1½ teaspoons kosher salt, plus more to taste
• ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon ghee
• 8 ounces fresh black trumpet mushrooms
• 3 stalks green garlic, roots and tough tops removed, tender portions sliced crosswise
• 4 spring onions, bulbs and tender greens cut into ½-inch pieces
• ½ cup dry white wine
• 1¼ cups unsalted gluten-free chicken stock, plus more as needed
• 1–2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

Instructions

1. Open the trumpet mushrooms lengthwise to check for grit. Brush clean or rinse briefly if necessary, then drain and dry thoroughly. Leave smaller mushrooms whole and tear large ones into long pieces.
2. Pat the chicken very dry and season with the salt and pepper. Heat the ghee in a wide, heavy braising pan over medium heat. Add the thighs skin-side down and cook for 8–12 minutes, until deeply golden and the skin releases readily. Turn and cook for 2 minutes, then transfer to a plate.
3. Pour off excess fat, leaving about 1½ tablespoons in the pan. Add the mushrooms and cook over medium-high heat for 4–6 minutes, until their released moisture has mostly evaporated. Transfer to a bowl.
4. Lower the heat to medium. Add the green garlic and spring onions and cook for 3–4 minutes, stirring, until softened but not deeply browned. Add the wine, scrape up the browned bits, and simmer until reduced by about half.
5. Add the stock and return the chicken skin-side up, along with any accumulated juices. The liquid should come roughly one-third to halfway up the thighs, not cover the skin. Bring to a gentle simmer.
6. Partially cover and maintain a very gentle stovetop simmer for 25 minutes. Return the mushrooms around the chicken and continue cooking for 10–20 minutes, until the thighs are tender and register 175–185°F near, but not touching, the bone; they must reach at least 165°F.
7. Transfer the chicken to a warm plate. If the juices are thin, simmer uncovered for 3–6 minutes until lightly concentrated but still spoonable. Skim excess fat, add lemon juice to taste, and adjust the salt. Return the chicken briefly to warm through without submerging the skin.

Notes

• Use a pan that holds the thighs in one layer. Add a splash of stock if the liquid reduces too far before the chicken is tender.
• For dried black trumpets, use about 1 ounce, soak in warm water until pliable, and rinse carefully. Strain the soaking liquid through a coffee filter and use some in place of stock.
• The skin will remain browned but soften during braising; this is not a crisp-skin preparation.

Roasted Asparagus

A hot oven lightly blisters the spears without sacrificing their spring-green centers. A small squeeze of lemon balances the richer chicken and squash.

Ingredients

• 1½ pounds medium-to-thick asparagus
• 1½ tablespoons olive oil
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt, or to taste
• ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1–2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

Instructions

1. Heat the oven to 425°F. Trim the woody ends from the asparagus; peel the lower third of particularly thick stalks if the skin is fibrous.
2. Toss with the olive oil, salt, and pepper on a rimmed baking sheet. Arrange in one layer with a little space between the spears.
3. Roast for 10–15 minutes, turning once if needed, until bright green with a few browned spots and just tender when pierced. Begin checking thin spears sooner.
4. Finish with lemon juice immediately before serving.

Notes

• Roast close to serving time rather than holding the asparagus warm, which dulls its color and softens the tips.

Butternut Squash Purée with Sugar Pumpkin Miso

Roasting concentrates the squash so the purée stays thick and silky. Pumpkin miso supplies fermented depth and salt without obscuring the squash's sweetness.

Ingredients

• 1 medium butternut squash, about 2½ pounds
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1½ tablespoons Shared Cultures sugar pumpkin miso, verified gluten-free, plus more to taste
• ¼–½ cup hot water, as needed
• to taste kosher salt

Instructions

1. Heat the oven to 425°F. Peel and seed the squash, then cut into 1-inch pieces.
2. Toss with the olive oil and spread on a rimmed baking sheet. Roast for 35–45 minutes, turning once, until completely tender with some golden edges. Avoid heavy charring so the purée remains bright orange.
3. Transfer the hot squash to a blender or food processor. Add the butter, miso, and ¼ cup hot water. Blend until very smooth, adding the remaining water a tablespoon at a time only as needed. Vent the blender safely when processing hot food.
4. Taste before adding salt; the miso may provide enough. Add a little more miso if desired, keeping the squash flavor prominent.
5. Transfer to a small saucepan and keep warm over very low heat, stirring occasionally. The finished purée should hold a soft mound rather than flow like a sauce.

Notes

• Miso salinity varies by batch, so begin with the measured amount and adjust after blending.
• If the purée becomes too loose, stir it over low heat until excess moisture evaporates.

Overall Timing / Workflow

The chicken braises on the stovetop while the squash roasts, leaving the oven available for asparagus just before dinner.

Instructions

1. 0:00 — Heat the oven to 425°F. Prepare the squash and put it in to roast.
2. 0:15 — Clean the mushrooms, cut the alliums, and season the chicken. Begin browning the thighs.
3. 0:30 — Cook the mushrooms and alliums, deglaze, and start the chicken braise.
4. 0:50 — Check the squash and blend the purée when tender. Keep it warm over very low heat.
5. 0:55 — Return the mushrooms to the braise. Trim and season the asparagus.
6. 1:00 — Roast the asparagus. Check the chicken for tenderness and temperature.
7. 1:10–1:25 — Rest the finished chicken briefly while reducing and seasoning its juices. Finish the asparagus with lemon and serve on warm plates.

Notes

• Use doneness rather than the clock: large thighs and dense squash may need the longer end of the range.

Plating

Keeping the purée beside the chicken preserves its clean shape, while a modest amount of jus ties the components together without soaking the asparagus.

Instructions

1. Spoon a generous oval of squash purée onto one side of each warm plate, shaping it with the back of a spoon.
2. Set a chicken thigh beside the purée, skin-side up. Spoon the spring onions, green garlic, and black trumpets over and around it.
3. Add a little braising jus around the chicken, keeping most of it off the asparagus.
4. Arrange the asparagus in a neat row along the remaining edge of the plate and serve immediately.

Leftover Path

Storing the chicken in its juices protects it during reheating, while keeping the vegetables separate prevents the purée from thinning and the asparagus from becoming waterlogged.

Instructions

1. Refrigerate the chicken with its mushrooms, alliums, and braising juices in a shallow covered container within 2 hours of cooking. Store the purée and asparagus separately. Use within 3–4 days.
2. Reheat the chicken gently, covered, with its juices and a splash of water or stock until it reaches 165°F.
3. Warm the purée in a saucepan over low heat, stirring and adding a little water if needed. Briefly warm the asparagus in the oven, or chop it and fold it into the reheated chicken at the end.
4. For a second meal, shred the chicken into its mushroom juices and spoon over the remaining warm squash purée.

Notes

• Freeze the chicken and braising juices or the squash purée for up to 3 months. The asparagus is best eaten refrigerated rather than frozen.