Chicken with Creamy Mushroom Sauce

"Here is a family favorite for a weeknight dinner—chicken thighs, floured and browned and then baked, served with a creamy mushroom sauce. You can serve it with rice, or if you put it over egg noodles, you have something resembling a chicken stroganoff. Years ago, when my mother was a young housewife with a husband and six rambunctious kids to feed, she taught herself how to cook from various cookbooks that were popular at the time. One of her favorite books was Elena’s secrets of Mexican cooking,now long out of print, by Elena Zelayeta, published in 1958. This recipe is adapted from a recipe forPollo con Jocoqui (Chicken with Sour Cream) in that book. The note in the cookbook regarding this recipe is“Brides might well add this to their kitchen repertoire. It is easy to fix and never fails to make a hit.”We all agree. It’s a great combination, and so easy to make! Elena’s original recipe calls for a whole chicken cut into parts. We find using thighs to be easier—all the chicken pieces get cooked in the same amount of time, and we prefer the flavor of thighs to breasts. You could use whole chicken parts, or chicken breasts. If you use chicken breasts, watch the timing—the white meat of chicken breasts cooks faster than the dark meat of thighs or legs. Updated from the recipe archive. First posted in 2006...."