I found this recipe in Cook’s Illustrated. I was gifted a subscription and honestly most everything is above my skill set. This one has limited ingredients and steps so I was confident that I could pull it off. I did make this at the main house but I bet I could do it in my tiny kitchen. Cut everything in half and that makes tiny food with little effort, except the math. I followed the recipe exactly since it was new to me.
1\3 cup plus 2 tablespoons lemon juice divided, plus lemon wedges for serving
3 1\2 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1 1\2 teaspoons table salt, divided
2 pounds bone in chicken thighs
2 pounds onions, halved and sliced thin
1 1\3 cups chicken broth
8 cloves of garlic, lightly crushed and peeled
1\2 – 1 habanero chili
1/4 teaspoon pepper
4 1\2 cups cooked long-grain white rice
1 1\2 teaspoons minced fresh parsley
Mix 1\3 cup lemon juice, 1 1\2 tablespoons oil, mustard and 1 teaspoon salt together in a large bowl. Add the chicken and toss to coat. Cover and pop it in the fridge for about an hour.
Heat the last of the oil in a Dutch oven and cook the chicken. Try to get the excess marinade off of the chicken and reserve it. Start the chicken skin side down and cook until the skin gets brown and crispy, 6 to 8 minutes. Flip the chicken and cook another 6 to 8 minutes. Remove the chicken to a large plate and keep warm.
Add the onions and remaining salt to the pot and reduce the heat to medium low. Cook the onions until they are soft and caramelized, 25 to 30 minutes.
Stir in broth, garlic, chili pepper, ground pepper and the reserved marinade and bring to a simmer. Add the chicken back, making sure to get any of the juice that has rested out. Cover and simmer. Stir occasionally until the sauce has thickened to the consistency of heavy cream and the chicken is falling off the bone, 45 to 55 minutes.
Spread the rice in an even layer on that large plate. Arrange the chicken on top of the rice. Stir the last of the lemon juice in and season with salt and pepper to taste. Spoon the sauce and onions over and around the chicken and rice. Sprinkle on the parsley and serve with lemon wedges.
I know I said I followed the recipe exactly but I didn’t have bone in chicken. I didn’t think it would be a big miss and it wasn’t but it would have been better. The bones add more flavor to the braising liquid and the chicken while it cooks. I also had questions about so many onions but there is a little blurb in the magazine about why. When the onions are cooked down slowly they release water that turns into pectin, sugars and proteins that give the sauce that creamy, sexy uumph.
Don’t be afraid to cook above your level! Get that fancy magazine at the check out and give it a go!
Enjoy your kitchen!
Ali's Kitchen 