When company’s coming and Marie Gallo needs an easy dinner to prepare, she often turns to her Skillet Chicken Dinner. Combined with mushrooms, it’s rich and flavorful and it always elicits oohs and awws from the dinner crowd.

The dish does need to simmer on the stove for at least two hours. But you’ll be glad it did.

MARIE’S SKILLET CHICKEN

6-10 chicken thighs

2 large onions, sliced

1 lemon, juice and peel

Salt and pepper

1 tablespoon olive oil, or vegetable oil

3 tablespoons olive oil, or vegetable oil

1.5 cups chicken broth

White mushrooms, 1 carton

Put 3 tablespoons of oil in large skillet and sprinkle a little salt and pepper in it. Add onions and let sweat for 3 or 4 minutes on high, stirring occasionally, until onions are translucent but not brown. Turn to medium high.

In a smaller skillet put 1 tablespoon oil with a little salt and pepper and add sliced mushrooms and let cook on medium until moisture is out. Set aside.

Trim some, but not all, of the fat from the thighs. Put thighs in the larger skillet, skin down, and turn back to high. Salt and pepper chicken; sear each side 2 minutes.

Turn to medium low. Add 1 cup chicken broth and reduce stove temperature to medium low.

Add lemon peels and a half cup lemon juice. Cook for a half-hour and turn chicken; cook for another half-hour. Check to see if you need to add rest of chicken broth. Continue to flip every half-hour for at least two hours and perhaps up to four hours to make sure chicken is thoroughly cooked. Add mushrooms just before you take from stove.

OPTIONAL:

Instead of lemon and lemon juice, you can flavor chicken dish with a heaping tablespoon of mustard plain or flavored). Or flavor it with a little white wine.