Skillet Chicken Thighs with White Wine–Butter Sauce

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Skillet Chicken Thighs with White Wine–Butter Sauce

Our go-to method for making crispy, juicy chicken thighs is the stovetop-to-oven cast-iron skillet method. If you’re pressed for time, you can still enjoy the delectable chicken without the butter sauce by just plating the thighs directly from the oven. But if you want to add flavour befitting of a fine dining establishment, try making beurre blanc, a traditional French white wine and butter sauce. This recipe yields a generous amount of sauce, which you should spoon over every other dish after nestling the chicken into some of it.

Ingredients:

  1. Four 2-pound, skin-on, bone-in chicken thighs
  2. Coarsely ground black pepper and kosher salt
  3. one-third cup of champagne vinegar
  4. one-third cup of dry white wine
  5. Two shallots, cut finely
  6. half a lemon, squeezed
  7. two bay leaves
  8. Half a cup of heavy cream
  9. Half a pound (two sticks) of cubed unsalted butter
  10. 1/4 cup finely chopped chives

Instructions;

  1. Start the oven at 450 degrees Fahrenheit.
  2. Wet the chicken with paper towels and pat dry. Season them with 1 1/2 tsp salt and pepper on both sides.
  3. Place a big oven-safe skillet over medium-high heat, preferably made of cast iron. Place the chicken thighs skin-side down in the skillet and cook for 11 to 12 minutes, turning them around once or twice to ensure even browning, or until the skin is very golden brown.
  4. Switch off the heating source. Using tongs, gather a wad of paper towels and use them to wipe up any extra oil in the skillet. This will stop the grease from splattering all over your oven, and then carefully dispose of the paper towel. Continue a few times until the skillet’s bottom is covered in just a thin layer of oil.
  5. Place the skillet in the oven and cook for 6 to 8 minutes, or until the chicken is almost done. Turn the thighs over so the skin side is facing up, and roast for a further 6 minutes, or until the colour is gone from the area around the bone. After taking the skillet out of the oven, place the chicken thighs, skin side up, on a platter. After cleaning, put the skillet aside.
  6. In the interim, begin working on your sauce. In a heavy 2-quart saucepan, combine the vinegar, wine, shallots, lemon juice, and bay leaves. Simmer for 8 to 10 minutes over medium heat, or until the mixture reduces to a moist paste. Simmer the mixture until it reduces to approximately 2 tablespoons, then stir in the cream.
  7. Take out the bay leaves and turn the heat down to low. A few butter chunks should be added, and you should whisk continuously until the butter melts. Then, add a few more chunks and whisk once more. After adding and whisking the butter until it melts into a creamy emulsion, it should take around 4 minutes to incorporate all of the butter. The sauce will separate if it is allowed to get past 130 degrees Fahrenheit. Remove the sauce from the heat and whisk in two ice cubes until it cools down and thickens again if it begins to break.
  8. Add a pinch of pepper and half a teaspoon of salt to the sauce for seasoning. Place it inside the cast-iron skillet, tuck the chicken in, and then top the entire thing with chives. Serve right away.

 

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