Mushroom Duxelles-Stuffed Chicken Paprikash

Ingredients

• For the stuffed chicken:
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 pound button mushrooms, washed, dried, and minced
• 1 medium white onion, minced
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• Zest and juice of 1 lemon
• 1/3 cup port wine
• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
• For the gravy:
• 1 medium red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and finely chopped
• 1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
• 2 medium cloves garlic, minced
• 2 plum tomatoes, cored, seeded, and finely chopped
• 1/4 cup minced pickled banana peppers
• 2 tablespoons sweet paprika, preferably Hungarian
• 1/2 teaspoon ground caraway
• 2 bay leaves
• 4 sprigs thyme
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 1 1/4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

Directions

1. Warm the oil in a large skillet set over medium-high heat; when it begins to shimmer, add the mushrooms and onion. Cook them, giving the pan a stir now and then, until they have browned, about 12 minutes. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, then mix in the lemon zest and juice. Keep cooking until the mixture is a deeper brown, about 4 minutes longer. Pour in the port and let it cook down until almost gone, about 2 minutes. Take the pan off the heat and set the filling aside.
2. With a sharp knife, butterfly the chicken breast halves. Cut lengthwise into each breast while keeping your knife parallel to the cutting board, stopping just before you slice all the way through, so the chicken opens up like a little book.
3. Place each opened chicken breast half on plastic wrap, then lay another piece of plastic wrap over the top. Use a meat pounder to flatten each piece to a 1/4-inch thickness. Peel away the plastic and trim each breast into an even rectangle. Spoon 2 tablespoons of the mushroom mixture over each piece of chicken, keeping a 1/4-inch border clear at the edges. Roll each breast up lengthwise and tie it with kitchen twine at 3/4-inch intervals. Season the outside of the chicken with salt and pepper.
4. For the gravy, warm the olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium-heat until it shimmers. Brown the chicken rolls on every side, about 5 minutes, then move them to a platter and hold them there. Add the bell pepper and onion to the pot and cook, stirring from time to time, until the vegetables soften, 5 to 7 minutes. Lower the heat to medium. Stir in the garlic and cook for 2 minutes more. Add the tomatoes, banana peppers, paprika, caraway, bay leaves, thyme, and wine. Let the mixture come to a boil, then drop it to a simmer until the alcohol cooks off, about 5 minutes. Pour in the chicken stock and season with salt and pepper.
5. In a small bowl, whisk the sour cream with the flour until smooth. Slowly whisk about 1/4 cup of the hot sauce liquid into the sour cream mixture, then whisk that mixture back into the sauce in the Dutch oven. Bring the sauce back to a boil. Nestle the chicken back into the pot. Turn the heat to low and cook until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the middle of the chicken rolls reads 150 degrees F, or 160 degrees F if you want to follow USDA guidelines, about 15 minutes.
6. Remove and discard the bay leaves and thyme sprigs. Let the dish rest for 5 minutes, then serve the chicken rolls with the paprika sauce spooned over the top.