This recipe ,created by Chef James Boyce of the Cotton Row restaurant in Huntsville, Alabama was published in Food & Wine magazine last year. I came across it in an on-line listing as one of the best chicken recipes of the year, and clearly that’s saying something! It’s a great one pot dish for entertaining or delivering to a friend in need of a comforting dinner. The chef suggests serving it with buttered noodles, wheat berries or rice to soak up the tangy sauce.
2 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
3 pounds chicken thighs, fat trimmed
salt and freshly ground pepper
5 carrots, sliced 1/2 inch thick
5 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 leek, white and light green parts only, thinly sliced
2 Tbs. all purpose flour
1 cup cider vinegar
3 cups low sodium chicken broth
3 Tbs. unsalted butter
2 Tbs. chopped flat leaf parsley
2 Tbs. snipped chives
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a large enameled cast-iron casserole, heat the olive oil. Season the chicken thighs with salt and pepper and add them to the casserole, skin side down.. Cook over moderately high heat, in batches if necessary, turning once, until golden brown, about 12 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a platter.
Spoon off all but 2 Tbs. of the fat in the casserole. Add the carrots, garlic and leek and cook over low heat until crisp-tender, about 5 minutes. Add the flour and stir for one minute. Add the vinegar and chicken broth and stir, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Bring the sauce to a boil. Nestle the chicken in the sauce, skin side up. Transfer the casserole to the oven and braise the chicken for about 50 minutes, until cooked through.
Preheat the broiler. Transfer the chicken to a baking sheet, skin side up. Broil on the middle rack of the oven until the skin is golden and crisp, about 4 minutes.
Simmer the sauce over moderate heat until reduced to about 4 cups, 10 minutes. Stir in the butter until melted. Add the parsley and chives and season the sauce with salt and pepper. Return the chicken to the casserole skin side up and serve. Feeds 6.
Note: The second time I made this I could only find skinless thighs. This simplified things as I could skip the broiling step, and to reduce the sauce I just took the lid off the pot 10 minutes early with the chicken still in it. Of course the crispy chicken skin is divine, but the dish is still wonderful without it. A great fall or winter meal.
{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
Made this recipe for company on Saturday. It is delicious! The sauce is so tasty! I didn’t heed the suggestion for a basic starch and instead made a farro recipe that was almost like a risotto. It had too many flavors of its own, so it didn’t show off the delicious chicken sauce as well as some plain rice would have. One other consideration – you do need a large pot/casserole to be able to get these chicken pieces into one layer so that they are all down in the sauce for braising. I used my huge Le Creuset which just barely worked for 14 thighs (3 1/2 lbs. for 7 people). I started a few hours before company was coming and put it together up to the point where you put it in the oven. Put it in the oven for 50 minutes right when company walked in. Everyone seemed to clean their plates!
Those are very helpful suggestions – you are a great recipe tester Yvonne! xo Hilary
This is FABULOUS! Made it for guests tonight and everyone loved it. I followed your tips above and served it with buttered noodles and the kale salad on this site. YUM!