thyme, oregano & white wine chicken
ok so this chicken is phenomenal. it is the best chicken I have ever made, maybe even ever had. i am just going to get right into this week because this chicken is so worth getting right into. this recipe goes along the recipe i shared last week for that radicchio, chickpea and herbed balsamic quinoa salad. they come together in a perfect pairing and make a whole meal...well almost. i have one more recipe to share in this three part series not next week but the week after (I am breaking up this series to share a gluten free carrot cake in time for easter next week) that will really make it a whole meal but these two together practically are.
i have made this chicken for friends 3 or 4 times now and no joke every single time i have made it my friends have walked away from the table saying it is the best chicken they have ever had! some have even gone home to rave about it. so there is proof that it is not just me or paul that think this chicken is that good it is a multitude of people and that, that makes me happy.
it's the white wine, hands down (well in my humble opinion) chicken and white wine were meant for each other. the herbs also make this chicken as does the chicken stock. the sauce, the sauce is like pour it in a cup and drink it good. so it's really everything, everything in this dish makes this dish. and the best part is the recipe is simple as are the ingredients. simple, real food is what it is all about people.
also yes I have meant to not capitalize anything in this post. i think it is going to be the new way of lyndseyeden.com no more capitalizing. i hate having to hit that shift key, hate it, hate it, hate it. why i am not totally sure but it slows me down and i am sick of it. so from here on out i am not doing it anymore. i am stepping away from the you should do and not doing.
i tell you it is pretty freeing stepping away from the "norm" and I totally recommend for you to try and stop doing something you don't like this week, something that is considered "normal" and maybe "against the rules" i dare you too. well i mean within boundaries, i don't want any of you getting arrested! this is just capitals, the only person coming after me will be the grammar police and i think i can handle them.
thyme, oregano & white wine chicken
ingredients
8 chicken thighs (or a mixture of thighs, legs, drum sticks)
1 cup of white wine
1 cup of chicken stock ( i get mine from my local butcher, best stuff!)
3 cloves of garlic
2 large shallots
3 tbsp of fresh thyme
3 tbsp of fresh oregano
directions
preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
mince the garlic and shallots, finely chop your fresh herbs (just de-steming the thyme is good).
heat a large oven safe pan on medium/high heat (I use Staub galvanized cast iron pans which cook meats beautifully on the stove and in the oven, they give it that look like its been cooked on a BBQ, amazing!) add 3 tbsp of butter and 3 tbsp of olive oil to the pan.
de-skin and salt and pepper your chicken on both sides. add the chicken to the heated pan and brown on both sides. remove the chicken from the pan and turn the heat down to low/medium. add some more butter and olive oil to the pan and sauté your minced shallots for about 5 minutes, then add in the garlic and sauté for another 2 minutes. next add in the fresh herbs and deglaze the pan with the cup of white wine.
let the wine simmer for about 2-3 minutes then add your chicken stock and simmer for another 5 minutes, mix and add your browned chicken pieces, season with salt and pepper. place in the oven for 30 minutes (flipping the chicken half way through. the sauce should thicken in the oven. (see notes below)
to serve place the chicken on a dish and pour the sauce from the pan over top. you might want some bread to run across your plate afterwards too the sauce is that good!
Notes:
it is best to cook this chicken in a cast iron pan to get it as browned as in the pictures. cooking in cast iron pans also allows sauces to thicken on their own without using any type of thickening agent (most of the time). if you are not using avcast iron I would add 1 tbsp of cornstarch mixed in water to the sauce about 10 minutes before you take the chicken out of the oven to get a thicker sauce. (you may need to add some cornstarch to the sauce even if you are using a cast iron, mine thickened on its own but all ovens and pans are different).