Chicken thighs, man. If ever I had a nemesis in the food world, they'd be it. They look all innocent and friendly in the package, like tiny pink juicy chicken breasts all lined up in a row. Once you take them out of there though, things get ugly in a hurry. Under that white meat pinkness lurk tendons, slabs of fat, chewy bits of dark meat I want to gag just thinking about. Blood vessels. Come on.
These were my thoughts while preparing the following recipe for dinner tonight. I watched those bits of gristly grossness sizzle in the pan and thought about alternatives, ordering a pizza, last night's leftovers, and the ever-popular big bowl of cereal for dinner. I was sure I'd want nothing to do with the finished product.
And then I braised. And it was amazing. After 20 minutes of a bubbling simmer those thighs had melted into the butternut squash and brussels sprouts to make the most amazing comfort food. It's a frigging hug in a bowl, for real. So get you some thighs, y'all. Your belly wants this.
BRAISED SAGE CHICKEN
with sweet potatoes, butternut squash, and onions
(from TheFresh20.com which by the way is an amazing subscription service for recipes and you should all go join because they give you a list of 20 fresh ingredients to buy each week and then walk you through five simple recipes that make enough to feed a family of four. Anyway, back to the recipe):
6 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon sweet paprika
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, roughly chopped
1 – 8 ounce sweet potato/yam, peeled and cut into large dice
12 ounce butternut squash, peeled and cut into large dice – about 4 cups
¼ pound Brussels sprouts, root trimmed and cut in half or fourths depending on size
2 garlic cloves, minced or pressed
3 sage leaves, finely chopped (or 1 teaspoon ground sage)
¾ teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
¼ cup low sodium chicken broth
2 teaspoons white wine vinegar
2 cups cooked brown rice
1. In a small bowl, combine the salt & pepper and paprika. Season the
chicken on both sides.
2. Heat a large Dutch oven or deep skillet over medium heat.
Add in olive oil and once hot, brown the chicken, about 3 minutes per
side. Remove from pan.
3. Once all the chicken is browned and set aside, add the onions,
sweet potatoes, squash, Brussels sprouts, garlic, and sage to
the pot and stir. Season the vegetables with salt & pepper and
allow to sweat for 2-3 minutes or until the onions become soft
and translucent.
4. Add the chicken back into the pot; add in the broth and
vinegar. Cover with a lid and reduce heat to low for a bubbling
simmer. Cook, covered, for 20 minutes or until chicken is falling apart.
5. Mix in the cooked rice, flaking apart the chicken as you stir. It'll
get all nice and stewy. Eat. Enjoy, you can thank me later.
