Pan-roasted chicken thighs with shallot and white wine pan sauce
This is the dish I teach first, because it teaches everything. Dry the skin properly and it crisps. Get the pan hot enough and the thighs release on their own. Leave the browned bits alone until there's wine in the pan, and they become a sauce that tastes like it took an hour. Cook it twice and you'll never need the recipe again.
By Jarrett Kahler
Method
- Dry and season, early.Pat the thighs dry with paper towels and season generously on both sides with salt. If you have time, leave them uncovered on a plate in the fridge for an hour or up to overnight; dry skin is crisp skin. Take them out 20 minutes before cooking.
- Heat the oven and the pan.Set the oven to 425°F. Put a 10- or 12-inch stainless or cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat with the oil. The oil should shimmer and just begin to smoke; this takes longer than you think, two to three minutes.
- Sear skin-side down, and leave it alone.Lay the thighs in skin-side down, away from you. Press each one flat for ten seconds with a spatula. Then don't touch them for 6 to 8 minutes. The skin will release on its own when it's ready; if it sticks, it isn't ready.
- Flip and finish in the oven.Turn the thighs, grind pepper over the skin, and slide the pan into the oven. Roast 12 to 15 minutes, until the thickest part reads 170°F to 175°F. Thighs are better a little past 165°F; they get more tender, not drier.
- Rest the chicken, keep the pan.Move the thighs to a plate, skin up. Pour off all but about a tablespoon of fat, keeping every brown bit in the pan. Those bits are the sauce.
- Build the sauce.Pan over medium heat. Add the shallots and thyme and cook, stirring, about a minute, until the shallots soften and smell sweet. Add the wine and scrape the bottom of the pan hard with a flat-edged wooden spoon until nothing is stuck. Let the wine reduce by half, about two minutes.
- Reduce, then mount with butter.Add the stock and any juices from the resting chicken. Simmer until it coats the back of a spoon, 3 to 4 minutes. Pull the pan off the heat, add the cold butter and Dijon, and swirl the pan (don't stir) until the butter melts into a glossy sauce. Taste. Add salt if it needs it and a few drops of lemon if it tastes flat.
- Plate.Pull the thyme stems. Spoon sauce beside the chicken, not over the skin, so it stays crisp. Serve with smashed potatoes and something green and sharp.
Chef's note
If the sauce breaks and looks greasy, it got too hot while the butter went in. Take it off the heat, add a tablespoon of cold stock or water, and swirl; it will usually come back. If it reduced too far and tastes salty, same fix: a splash of stock, swirl, taste again.
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