Description
Adapted from this NY Times recipe via an Andrew Zimmern tweet, which read: “Brown 8 thighs, 3 C shallots. Add wine, tarragon, Dijon, sim 30 min covered. Remove lid, reduce. Add 2C cut cherry toms.” Andrew’s wife, Risha, had adapted the recipe from Martha Stewart.
Changes I’ve made include: skip the browning. Ever since making Diana Henry’s Moroccan chicken and rice, which calls for a chuck-everything-in-the-oven-at-once technique, I don’t brown chicken anymore. Not browning yields crispy skin in said Moroccan chicken and rice recipe as well as in this Chicken with Sherry Vinegar recipe and here with this roast chicken and shallots.
One caveat: If you use large or fattier chicken pieces, your sauce may be overwhelmed with rendered fat. I rarely have this issue, but every so often, if I taste the sauce at the end of cooking, and it tastes too fatty, I’ll remove the meat (and shallots, here), pour the sauce into a Pyrex, let the fat rise to the top, and skim it off. I find this easier than browning especially since this step isn’t always necessary.
Also, I use thyme because I can’t always find tarragon — not similar flavors, but each works well with the other flavors in this dish.
Also, given the season, I do not add tomatoes.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 12 to 15 whole medium shallots, peeled, halved if large
- kosher salt to taste
- 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- a few sprigs tarragon or thyme
- 2 cups white wine
- fresh-cracked black pepper
- 8 bone-in skin-on chicken thighs or drummies or a combination
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400ºF. Melt the butter in a large, heavy-bottomed oven-safe pot or skillet set over medium-high heat. When the butter foams, add the shallots to the pot, season with salt, and sauté them in the butter until they begin to soften and caramelize, approximately 10 to 12 minutes. Lower the heat as needed if shallots are browning too quickly. Add the mustard and thyme and stir until the mustard coats the shallots evenly and begins to brown. Add the wine and bring to a simmer, scraping the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon to release any brown bits.
- Meanwhile, season the chicken pieces generously with salt and pepper on both sides. When the wine simmers, add the chicken pieces to the pan and transfer the pan to the oven. Cook for 40 to 50 minutes or until the skin is nicely brown and crisp. Remove pan from oven.
- Using a spoon, swirl around the sauce and take a taste. If it tastes good, serve it. If it tastes fatty, transfer the meat and shallots to a platter, pour the juices into a Pyrex and let them sit until the fat rises, about 5 minutes. Skim off the fat. Return the juices, chicken and shallots to the pan. Return to the oven or bring to a simmer stove top to reheat. If chicken isn’t as brown as you would like, you can stick it under the broiler too. Serve immediately with crusty bread and a salad.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Stovetop/Oven
- Cuisine: American
