Braised Chicken and Mushroom Marsala

I love Chicken Marsala, always have.  My mom makes a great version and I ate it a lot growing up.  This dish has all those same yummy flavors, plus a little extra, and it’s a lot easier to make.
Here’s how I did it-

*Chicken breasts are pictured above, but dark meat is best if you have it.

*Recipe feeds as many as you like, just plan on 2 pieces of dark meat per person, or 1 breast*

-In a very hot, oven-proof* skillet, with some olive oil, sear 4-6 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs or legs that you’ve seasoned heavily with salt and pepper on both sides until brown and crispy (it will not be fully cooked at this point).  Remove from pan and turn the heat down to medium.
-Add a bit more olive oil to the pan and throw in 1 medium onion that you’ve cut into chunks.  Stir and begin to brown.
-Add in several big handfuls of halved cremini mushrooms.  Toss to coat in the olive oil, adding a bit more oil if necessary, and once they’ve begun to brown well, season with salt and pepper.
-Add in the peeled cloves of 1 head of garlic, about 2 TB of dried tarragon leaves, (if you have fresh, wait till the end to add it) and 1 TB of butter.
-Once all the veggies are browned and the bottom of the pan is dry, pour in about 1 cup of marsala wine and scrape the bottom of the pan to remove those brown bits.
-Allow this to come to a bubble and then nestle your chicken pieces back in, skin-side up.
-Pour in about half that much of chicken stock, or just enough to come up to the near halfway point of the meat.
-Drop in 1 chicken bouillon cube and then once the liquid has come up to a bubble again, place the pan in a preheated 350 oven, uncovered, for 30-45 minutes, or until the chicken is fully cooked through.
-Place the pan back on the stove top and remove the chicken and mushrooms, set aside.  Bring the liquid to a rolling boil and reduce by at least half.
-Pour in about 1/3 cup of cream, half & half or sour cream. If you are using fresh tarragon, mince it and add it in now. Taste to check your seasoning.
-Serve with your favorite vegetable and over rice, potatoes, or something else that can soak up the yummy sauce.
(*tip-if you don’t have an oven-proof skillet, meaning the handles on yours are plastic or rubber, then you can make it oven-proof by wrapping it tightly in 2 layers of tin-foil.)