By The first full week of December rolling in. Cody back at the auto-body shop full-time. The household has settled into a new normal that has three people in it for the first time in twenty-two months. The chair at the kitchen table is filled. The conversations at dinner are three-person conversations again. The cooking has been adjusting to feed three.
The recipe Sunday was chicken in white wine sauce from Cafe Delites. The French bistro classic. Chicken thighs seared, finished in a sauce of white wine (Aunt Tammy’s now-quarterly delivery), mushrooms, garlic, fresh thyme, butter, lemon. Served over mashed potatoes.
The math: chicken thighs $2.79, mushrooms $1.99, white wine free, mashed potatoes from the bag $0.40 worth, butter, garlic, herbs. Total: about $5.18 for three dinners.
The technique is the sear-and-braise. Sear the chicken skin-side-down for eight minutes. Flip and cook three more. Remove. Saute mushrooms and garlic in the rendered fat. Pour in a half cup of white wine and a half cup of chicken broth. Simmer two minutes. Return the chicken. Cover and simmer twenty minutes. Finish with butter and thyme off the heat.
Cody said, eating, Kay, this is the kind of dinner I missed. Mama held his hand at the table.
The recipe is below. The trick is the white-wine pan sauce.
Chicken in White Wine Sauce
Prep Time: 15 minutes | Cook Time: 45 minutes | Total Time: 1 hour | Servings: 4
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 lbs bone-in, skin-on chicken pieces (thighs and drumsticks work best)
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion, thinly sliced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 cup dry white wine (or low-sodium chicken broth)
- 1/2 cup chicken broth
- 1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes, drained
- 1/3 cup pitted Kalamata olives, halved
- 2 tablespoons capers, rinsed
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves (or 1/2 teaspoon dried)
- 1 teaspoon fresh rosemary, chopped (or 1/2 teaspoon dried)
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 tablespoons fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped, for serving
Instructions
- Season and sear the chicken. Pat chicken pieces dry with paper towels and season all over with salt and pepper. Heat olive oil in a large Dutch oven or deep skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken skin-side down and sear without moving for 5–6 minutes until deeply golden. Flip and sear the other side for 3 minutes. Transfer to a plate and set aside.
- Soften the aromatics. Reduce heat to medium. In the same pot, add the sliced onion and cook, stirring occasionally, for 4–5 minutes until softened and lightly golden. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute more until fragrant.
- Deglaze and build the braise. Pour in the white wine (or broth) and scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon. Let it simmer for 2 minutes to cook off some of the alcohol. Add the chicken broth, drained tomatoes, olives, capers, thyme, rosemary, and bay leaf. Stir to combine.
- Braise the chicken. Nestle the seared chicken pieces back into the pot, skin-side up, so they sit partially submerged in the sauce. Bring to a gentle simmer, then reduce heat to low. Cover and cook for 30–35 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through and tender (internal temperature of 165°F).
- Finish and serve. Remove the bay leaf. Taste the sauce and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper as needed. If you prefer a slightly thicker sauce, remove the chicken and simmer the sauce uncovered for 3–5 minutes. Serve chicken over crusty bread, rice, or egg noodles, spooning the sauce generously over the top. Garnish with fresh parsley.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 390 | Protein: 36g | Fat: 21g | Carbs: 9g | Fiber: 2g | Sodium: 680mg