Chicken Thighs with Brussel Sprouts

I cooked dinner for a few friends last night and I was looking for something simple that would allow me to be free to socialize. So I prepared a chicken recipe that I found in a little cookbook that Taylor gave me for Christmas a few years ago. It is quick and easy to prepare.  I have made a few changes to the recipe over time and have come up with a dish that is very tasty.

Pre-Heat oven to 450 degrees.  Clean 1 lb of brussel sprouts and split top to bottom. Toss in a bowl with 3 tblspns of oil and salt and pepper. Set aside.

In a roasting pan or large oven proof skillet, toss 8 chicken wings in olive oil, salt and pepper. Roast in oven skin up for 45 minutes. At the end of 45 minutes remove and add your brussel sprouts. (Just toss in pan around the chicken thighs).  Put back in oven for 12 minutes.

In the meantime, mince 4 cloves of garlic and about a tablespoon of chopped fresh rosemary.  Heat in a sauce pan in olive oil.  Add two cans of rinsed white beans and 1/4 cup of water. Cook on medium high for above 5 minutes until tender and mash with a potato masher.

Remove your thighs and brussel sprouts from oven and put on a serving tray. Drain any excess chicken fat from your pan but leave about 1-2 tablespoons for flavor.  On high heat, add one tblspn of butter and whisk. Now add 1/4 cup of water and continue whisking after a few minutes add about 1/4 to 1/2 cup of white wine. I like Sauvignon Blanc for this recipe because it will sweeten your sauce. Continue whisking until your sauce concentrates.

For plating, put your beans on the plate and place your chicken and brussel sprouts on top. Spoon on your sauce and serve.  What is great about this recipe is that your brussel sprouts absorb the flavor of the chicken. The savory roasted brussel sprouts and the chicken combined with the garlic and rosemary infused beans are complimented perfectly by the sweet sauce. It is really amazing and is definitely one of my favorite chicken recipes.


dish

Chicken

I have discovered over time that cooking a whole chicken is awesome and pretty easy. I like to roast it in oven and make a sauce out of the pan drippings. The bones add to the flavor of the meat and keep the meat juicy. So, tonight, I am going to give up Taylor's favorite recipe. Trust me, this is a very mild but flavorful recipe and is perfect for kids. 

You start off with a whole chicken. The one to the left is about 3.5 lbs.  This will serve 4-5 people or two with leftovers for sandwiches.

First, after rinsing and patting dry, flip your chicken over and remove the backbone....with a knife. Trim the knuckles off of the chicken legs and the tips of the wings. Why do this? Because it's cool and makes you look all chef-like when you serve it. Your chicken will lie nice and flat like you can see on the left. Pre-Heat your oven to 400 degrees. Trimming the chicken in this manner will allow it to cook in about half the time.




So now, flip your chicken back over and drizzle olive oil into the cavity. Sprinkle Sea Salt, Ground Black Pepper and Herbes De Provence. Place your chicken into a non-stick pan and do the same on the other side. Side Note: You can see my stove totally sucks so don't think that in order to become a Chef means you need a fancy kitchen.

On high heat sear your chicken for about 5-6 minutes or until you can see that it just starting to brown the bottom. Put the pan in the oven and cook for about 35-40 minutes or until your thigh meat is registering 180 degrees. If you don't have a meat thermometer, you are a kook. Get one. Unless you prefer to serve shoe leather at Christmas like my Mom.

If you like, you can get fancy with the seasoning. I like this recipe:  In a bowl, add 2 tablespoons of dijon mustards, 2 tablespoons of soy sauce, 2 cloves of garlic minced, salt, pepper and 1 teaspoon of Herbes de Provence. Mix and press onto your chicken just before putting into your pan. This is a good recipe for date night. I have about 10 variations of seasonings that I will use when cooking chicken this way.

 My camera sucks, sorry. The chicken was a beautiful golden brown color, the skin was crispy and the meat and was juicy and delicious. Remember to boil your potatoes about 15 minutes before your expected finish time. Mashed potatoes the French way:  Peel and cut up 4 medium sized russet potatoes. I don't care what they say, these make the best mashed potatoes. Boil until tender and drain. Add half a stick of butter and mash with a potato masher. Now add milk, typically 1/2 a cup maybe a bit more. Whisk until light and fluffy.


The sauce:  Okay, remove your chicken from your pan and put on a cutting board. Cover with foil and let set up for about 5-7 minutes. Drain off the grease from your pan and save the bits. Heat the pan up again on high heat. Add 2 tbspns of butter and whisk lightly. At this point, I like to add about 1/4 cup of chicken stock and whisk until it concentrates down a bit. Add a pinch of salt. Now add 1/4 cup of red wine and whisk until the alcohol cooks off and it concentrates down to about half. Remove from the heat. 

Cut up your chicken and spoon your sauce over the chicken and mashed potatoes. Trust me this recipe is very good. The French say that when you are cooking something it should taste like what it is....In other words, chicken should taste like chicken first. Seasonings and sauces should enhance the flavor of your food not overpower it. Enjoy this with a nice glass of red wine.