Bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs are browned skin-side down, then arranged in a clay pot with whole mushrooms, shallots, and thyme and baked in two stages. The first stage is uncovered at high heat so the mushrooms release their juices and the liquid evaporates; the lid goes on for the second stage as the temperature drops, letting the chicken tenderize in the remaining liquid. If you cover the pot before the mushrooms release their juices, the casserole will be watery and pale.
Pat the thighs thoroughly dry with paper towels. Rub all sides with 7 g of the salt and the black pepper. Dry skin browns without sticking to the pan.
Heat a wide, dry skillet over medium heat. Arrange the thighs skin-side down and leave them undisturbed for 8–10 minutes. When the skin is golden and releases from the skillet on its own, turn the thighs and sear the other side for 2 minutes; the chicken is not cooked through yet.
Wipe the soil from the mushrooms with a damp paper towel and trim their stems. Halve any large mushrooms. Peel the shallots and leave them whole; crush the garlic cloves.
Spread the mushrooms, shallots, and garlic over the bottom of the clay pot. Sprinkle them with the remaining salt and the thyme, then dot with the butter. Set the thighs on top of the vegetables, skin-side up. Pour the fat and juices collected in the skillet around the edge of the pot.
Place the clay pot uncovered on the middle rack of a cold oven. Set the oven to 220°C / 430°F and bake for 35 minutes; the clay pot should heat up with the oven. By the end of this time, the mushrooms should have released their juices and the liquid should have reduced by half. The chicken skin will darken further.
Cover the pot, reduce the oven to 180°C / 355°F, and bake for 25 minutes. Insert a thermometer into the thickest part of a thigh without touching the bone; if it does not read 74°C / 165°F, continue baking in 5-minute increments.
Set the clay pot on a dry trivet. Divide the thighs among plates with the mushrooms and cooking juices, and serve with bulgur pilaf.
Do not cover the casserole during the first 35 minutes; steam from the mushrooms needs to evaporate, or the chicken will stew instead of keeping its browned skin. Allergen: Contains milk and dairy products. Check packaged ingredient labels for other allergens.
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