Steve's only complaint about my kitchen prowess is that I rely too heavily on the family favorites and don't try new dishes often enough. This is true, but I could also make spaghetti and meatballs every single night and the kids would turn cartwheels. So in the interest of marital harmony and mixing things up a bit, I've selected some new cookbooks from the library and I'm committed to trying at least one new dish per week. Why I am unable to utilize one of the 200 cookbooks in my personal collection remains a mystery to my husband.
Anywho!
Last night's offering came from The Best 30-Minute Recipe cookbook from the editors of Cook's Illustrated. I found chicken thighs on sale at Rainbow for $1.00 per pound on Saturday. A quick look at the chicken ideas from the cookbook, and I decided on Pan Roasted Chicken Parts with Lemon-Thyme Jus. Everyone in the family gave it a thumbs up, although Steve declared them "good, but nothing special." Annelise sopped up every last drop of the pan juices, but she's a gravy addict, so it's easy to please her. Do NOT use a non-stick pan to make this dish.
Pan Roasted Chicken Parts with Lemon-Thyme Jus
Ingredients
- 3-3 1/2 pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (you can use breasts, just increase the cooking time)
- Salt and fresh ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil (the recipe calls for 1 tsp. I adapted to my skillet)
- 6 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed
Jus Ingredients
- 1 minced shallot
- 1 cup low sodium chicken broth
- 2 tablespoons butter chilled and cut into 2 pieces
- 1 TBSP fresh lemon juice
- Adjust oven rack to lowest position and heat oven to 450°.
- Season and brown chicken: Pat chicken parts dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Brown chicken well on both sides, about 10 minutes total.
- Roast chicken in skillet: Flip chicken parts skin-side down. Scatter the garlic cloves around chicken and make sure to coat each with oil. Transfer skillet to oven and roast chicken 8-10 minutes.
- Rest chicken: Remove skillet from oven. Transfer chicken parts to a platter and tent with foil. Pour off all but 1 teaspoon of fat from skillet, but leave garlic cloves.
- Make jus: Return skillet with garlic to medium high heat and heat until fat is shimmering. Add shallot and cook until softened, about two minutes. Stir in broth, thyme and any accumulated chicken juices, scraping any browned bits off the bottom of pan. Simmer until sauce has reduced to about 3/4 cup, about 5 minutes. Turn heat to low and whisk in butter, one piece at a time. Off heat, stir in lemon juice and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve, pouring sauce over chicken.
For a side dish, I cubed some red potatoes and tossed them with oil and Mrs. Dash. I microwaved them while the chicken cooked, then browned them while I made the jus for the chicken. I steamed fresh broccoli for the veggie. The jus was lovely served over the potatoes.
The thirty minute timeframe was spot on. I increased the jus ingredients by about 50% to accomodate my larger skillet, and would recommend it if you're using chicken breasts since they're typically so dry. In fact, I would likely double that portion of the recipe the next time I make this.
