An Ode to Chicken Thighs
If you’ve been following along with me for a while, then it’s so secret how much I love Ina Garten. My family and I kind of started obsessing over her over the holidays and it’s certainly snowballed since then. We’ve been cooking our way through her recipes and found one that resulted in our first silent dinner as a family of five maybe ever. It was that good. Grownups and kids all thought so, so much that it’s been requested every week since we made it the first time. The cherry on top is that it’s SO easy and such a lovely dish. Looks impressive for guests if you’re playing hostess and simple enough to get on the table on a busy weeknight. Need I say more?
Chicken Thighs with Creamy Mustard Sauce
8 medium bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (2 1/4 pounds)
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
olive oil
2 cups halved and thinly sliced yellow onions (2 onions)
2 tablespoons dry white wine
8 ounces creme fraiche
1 tablespoon good Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon whole-grain mustard
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
(HIGHLY recommend serving with some toasted French bread for sopping up all of the saucy goodness.)
Place the chicken thighs on a cutting board, skin side up, and pat them dry with paper towels. Sprinkle the chicken with 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and 3/4 teaspoon pepper. Turn them over and sprinkle them with one more teaspoon of salt.
Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large (11 to 12-inch) cast-iron skillet over medium heat. When the oil is hot, place the chicken in the pan in one layer, skin side down. Cook over medium heat for 15 minutes without moving, until the skin is golden brown. (If the skin gets too dark, turn the heat to medium low.) Turn the chicken pieces with tongs, add the onions to the pan, including under the chicken, and cook over medium heat for 15 minutes, stirring the onions occasionally, until the thighs are cooked to 155 to 160 degrees and the onions are browned. Transfer the chicken (not the onions) to a plate and allow to rest uncovered while you make the sauce. If the onions aren't browned, cook them for another minute.
Add the wine, creme fraiche, Dijon mustard, whole-grain mustard, and 1 teaspoon salt to the skillet and stir over medium heat for one minute. Return the chicken, skin side up, and the juices to the skillet, sprinkle with parsley, and serve hot.
(recipe originally found on Food Network)