Braised Chicken Thighs with Chicken Skin Gremolata
Photo: Cary Norton; Styling: Lindsey Lower
At Cooking Light we sometimes remove the skin from rich chicken thighs to reduce the saturated fat, but I realized last February that I could roast that very same skin till it's crisp, rendering out much of the fat and capturing lots of chickeny goodness for a wintry braised main dish. The gremolata idea came from my love of flat-leaf parsley: I never use the regular stuff anymore. Start checking the skins after 30 minutes in 5-minute intervals; they can quickly go from perfectly crisp to burned.
How to Make It
Step 1
Pour 1 cup boiling water over dried cherries in a bowl; let stand 30 minutes. Drain.
Step 2
Preheat oven to 375°.
Step 3
Remove skin from chicken. Place the skin flat on a parchment-lined jelly-roll pan. Bake at 375° for 40 minutes, making sure skin gets brown and thoroughly crisp but not burned. Drain on paper towels. Sprinkle with dash of salt and dash of pepper. Finely chop; set aside.
Step 4
Heat a large heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Add oil to pan; swirl. Sprinkle chicken with 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Add chicken to pan, meaty side down; cook 4 minutes on each side or until browned. Remove from pan. Reduce heat to medium. Add onion and sliced garlic; sauté 3 minutes. Add wine; cook 1 minute or until reduced by half. Return chicken to pan; add cherries, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, stock, thyme, and vinegar. Bring to a boil; cover, reduce heat, and simmer 15 minutes or until chicken is tender. Remove chicken from pan; keep warm. Increase heat to medium-high; cook sauce 2 minutes or until slightly thickened (about 1 cup).
Step 5
Combine skin, rind, parsley, and minced garlic in a small bowl. Serve chicken with sauce; top with gremolata.
Chef's Notes
MyRecipes is working with Let's Move!, the Partnership for a Healthier America, and USDA's MyPlate to give anyone looking for healthier options access to a trove of recipes that will help them create healthy, tasty plates. For more information about creating a healthy plate, visit www.choosemyplate.gov
You May Like
The chicken skin makes the dish
This recipe is flawless. The chicken comes out perfect and the crispy skin finishes the dish perfectly. Fresh, cruncy, savory, everything you want in a dish.
Excellent flavors