Next Sunday, July 14, is Bastille Day, a holiday celebrated in France with enthusiasm, delicious food, and fireworks. I mark the holiday by cooking a recipe thought up by one of my favorite French chefs. This year, a delectable chicken dish from Jacques Pepin will be my delicacy.
Pepin, chef, PBS TV host and cookbook author, has developed a slick technique for making sure bone-in chicken thighs cook thoroughly, creating to-the-bone doneness in a short amount of time. Before the bird is cooked, he trims away excess fat from the sides of the thighs (I do this with clean scissors) and then cuts about 1/2-inch deep on either side of the thigh bone from the no-skin side. Easy.
Jacques Pepin’s Crusty Chicken Thighs with Mushroom Sauce
Yield: 4 servings
INGREDIENTS
4 large chicken thighs, about 1 3/4 pounds total, skin on, bone in
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 cup diced onion
1 1/2 tablespoons coarsely chopped garlic
3 cups washed and diced white mushrooms or cremini mushrooms
1/3 cup dry white wine
1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives or green portion of green onion
Optional: Cooked farro, see cook’s notes
Cook’s notes: If you like, serve it over cooked farro.
DIRECTIONS
1. Arrange chicken thighs skin side down on a cutting board. Using a sharp paring knife, trim off any excess skin at the edges (I use scissors) and then cut (from the no-skin side) about 1/2-inch deep into the flesh on either side of the thigh bone. This will help the meat cook more quickly. Sprinkle the thighs with 1/2 teaspoon each of salt and pepper and arrange them skin side down in one layer in a nonstick skillet with a tight-fitting lid.
2. Place skillet over high heat and when thighs start sizzling reduce heat to medium, cover tightly and cook for 16 to 18 minutes, checking occasionally to make sure the chicken is browning properly. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 200 degrees. If chicken seems to be cooking too fast after 10 minutes or so, reduce heat to low. The skin of the chicken should be very crisp and brown. Place chicken skin side up on rimmed baking sheet or ovenproof platter and place in oven.
3. Discard all but 2 tablespoons fat from the skillet in which you cooked the chicken (usually I don’t have any more than 2 tablespoons in skillet). Add onion, garlic and mushrooms; sauté over high heat for about 3 to 4 minutes, or until mushrooms are lightly browned and liquid evaporates. Season with about 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper on the mushrooms and then add the wine and any liquid that has accumulated around the thighs on the baking sheet or platter. Cook the sauce over high heat for about 1 to 2 minutes to reduce liquid.
4. To serve, divide the sauce among 4 plates. Place thigh in the middle of mushroom sauce on each plate, spoon some sauce over and sprinkle on chives and serve. If you like, serve it over cooked farro.
Source: Jacques Pepin, “Jacques Pepin More Fast Food My Way” (Houghton Mifflin, $32)
Award-winning food writer Cathy Thomas has written three cookbooks, including “50 Best Plants on the Planet.” Follow her at @CathyThomas Cooks.com.
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