Crispy Mustard Chicken courtesy of Ina Garten

This recipe is a rarity for me.  Usually after I try a recipe for the first time, I tweak something to better suit my tastes but this is one of the few recipes I have not made a single change to because it is absolutely perfect and I am giving Ina Garten, queen of the Hampton's and Chambray shirts, all the credit.  The only I do change is the proportions since I have no use for eight chicken pieces for 2 people.

I think what I love most about this dish is its simple elegance.  The recipe only calls for a few ingredients (most of which I keep in my kitchen) so it is a great go to dish for a last minute dinner party especially since it is very scalable and all of the cooking is done in the oven so you are not stuck in the kitchen until dinner is ready.

Ingredient Count: 7 (I only needed to buy 3)

Ingredients
2 cloves garlic
1/2 tbsp minced fresh thyme leaves
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 cups panko (Japanese bread flakes)
1/2 tbsp grated lemon zest (1 lemon)
1 ttbsp good olive oil
1 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
1/4 cup Dijon mustard, such as Grey Poupon
1/4 cup dry white wine
4 chicken thighs (You can use any skin on chicken pieces that you like)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Place the garlic, thyme, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper in a food processor fitted with the steel blade and process until the garlic is finely minced. Add the panko, lemon zest, olive oil, and butter and pulse a few times to moisten the bread flakes. Pour the mixture onto a large plate. In a shallow bowl, whisk together the mustard and wine.

Pat the chicken dry with paper towels. Sprinkle generously all over with salt and pepper. Dip each piece in the mustard mixture to coat on all sides, and then place skin-side down only into the crumb mixture, pressing gently to make the crumbs adhere. Place the chicken on a sheet pan crumb-side up. Press the remaining crumbs on the chicken pieces.

Bake the chicken for 40 minutes. Raise the heat to 400 degrees F and bake for another 10 minutes, until the crumbs are browned and the chicken is cooked through.

The best thing about this chicken is it can be served with anything, rice, couscous, green beans, asparagus... it goes with anything.

Whether you are cooking this on a random weeknight or for guests, do as Ina does and pour yourself a glass of white wine pretend you are in your Hampton's beach house and enjoy.

Chicken with Rustic Apple Sauce

After an absolutely crazy summer, I am finally back to blogging.  While I have been cooking and trying new recipes throughout the summer, it has been very hard to find the time to write and I thought what better way to jump back into writing than sharing one of my favorite new fall recipes.  I developed this recipe from a combination of other recipes I have seen or have tried in the past.  I love apples and have cooked with them in past with pork but I have never paired them with chicken.  This recipe uses the same technique for cooking chicken thighs as the Garlic Chicken Thighs recipe but instead of a wine sauce, I substituted an apple sauce with fresh apples.

This recipe turned out amazing and tasted like Fall.  The chicken pairs perfectly with a white or brown rice.

So put on your chunky sweater and boots, drink a pumpkin spice latte while picking for apples for this perfect fall recipe. #whitegirlslovefall

Honeycrisp apples

4 chicken thighs, bone-in/skin on
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1/2 medium yellow onion
1/4 cup white wine
3/4 cup apple cider
3/4 cup chicken stock
2 apples, cored, quartered and sliced (I prefer honeycrisp apples)
1/2 tsp. fresh thyme leaves
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/2 tsp. dijon mustard
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 cup white or brown rice

Preheat oven to 375 F

Dry chicken thighs well and season chicken with salt and pepper.  Heat olive oil over medium high heat in an ovenproof saute pan.  Once oil is hot, add the chicken skin side down (do not flip).  Once the skin is a golden brown color, about 4 minutes, remove from pan.

Turn the heat down to medium and add the onions and cook until they are lightly browned. Add the white wine.  Cook until reduced, about 1-2 minutes.  Add the apple juice, chicken stock, apples and thyme. Once at a boil, add the cream and dijon to the sauce.  Add the chicken back to the pan, skin side up.  Place lid on the pan and transfer to the oven.  Cook for about 30 minutes.

Place chicken on a large serving plate. Spoon sauce around chicken and serve.

Garlicky Chicken Thighs

This is one of my favorite recipe, it is so simple to prepare but also very versatile to fit your tastes. The prep work is so easy, you do not even need to chop the garlic and the total active cook time is 10 to 12 minutes. The recipe can be used as an easy weeknight dinner or be served at a dinner party for guests  Since the prep work is so easy and the majority of the cooking time is baking the chicken in the oven, you can mingle with guests while the chicken is in the oven.  Just make sure you have the chicken in the oven before your guests arrive.

This recipe is also great for me because I already have most of the ingredients I need in the house so most days I just need to pick up chicken at the store but I usually buy garlic as well because this uses a lot, I use 10 cloves of garlic.  Before you think that is excessive, I leave the cloves whole and saute them up with the herbs to release their flavor into the white wine sauce.  When left whole, the garlic releases a mild sweet flavor into the sauce. 

Like I said before, the versatility is one of the best things about this dish, you could make it a different way every time you make it.  You can swap the thyme for another herb, such as rosemary or oregano (just be sure to go lighter on these herbs since the tend to have a more intense flavor.   You can also try a different type of wine for cooking, I have used both pinot grigio and chardonnay both of which turned out great and can change the flavor profile a bit.

Ingredient count: 8 (and I only had to buy 4)

 Season the chicken

 Add the chicken to the pan skin side down

 Cook chicken until skin is golden brown.  I do recommend using a splatter guard during this step.

 Remove chicken from the pan.  Turn the heat down, add herbs, garlic and bay leaves. 

 Add Chicken back to the pan

Cover, place in oven, cook for 40 minutes

Garlicky Chicken Thighs

2 lbs. bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs, patted dry
4 tsp. extra-virgin olive oil
5 garlic cloves, peeled but left whole
3 fresh thyme sprigs  or rosemary
1 bay leaf
1/4 cup dry white wine 
2 tsp. white wine vinegar
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste  

Preheat oven to 325°

Season chicken with salt and pepper.  Heat olive oil over high heat in an ovenproof saute pan.  Once oil is hot, add the chicken skin side down.  Once the skin is a golden brown color, about 4 minutes, remove from pan.

Turn down to a medium heat, add garlic, herbs and bay leaves.  Saute, about 2 minutes, until the vegetables are just beginning to color.  Pour in the wine and vinegar.  Stir with a wooden spoon to dislodge and browned bits on the bottom of the pan.  Return the chicken to the pan skin side up, cover and place in the oven.  Cook until chicken is tender, about 40 minutes.  

Serve with braising sauce and garlic over chicken