Chef Joel & Jenn: Garlic Brown Sugar Chicken
After an incredible Thanksgiving weekend it was back to life and reality for us. But that didn't mean we couldn't put together a new recipe on a Monday night. I've been really struggling for inspiration. I've cooked a lot of the things I love most steak, hamburgers, tacos, and pasta. And so as I continue this journey of finding new things to cook and master it's hard to choose. I spend far more time then I'm willing to admit researching new recipes.
And sometimes its just about picking one and going with it. Today I stumbled upon a recipe on Yummly a website that develops a curated list of the best recipes from various food blogs. Most of the blogs (including the one for todays recipe) are blogs I frequent. So when I found the Garlic Brown Sugar Chicken on DamnDelicious I was in.
Chicken Before the Sauce and Going into the Oven
The recipe is one of the easier ones I've ever cooked. I did have to confirm our pans are oven safe (which they are) before proceeding with this recipe. After bringing home the ingredients (most of which I already had) it was time to get cooking. You start off by searing both sides of the chicken thighs and then removing the chicken from the pan. You throw the rest of the ingredients in the pan (honey, garlic, brown sugar, oregano, thyme and basic) and quickly make the sauce. You then put the thighs back in the pan and put it in the oven for a half hour and you're done.
Chicken After Coming Out of the Oven
I served the chicken thighs with sautéed zucchini and some broccoli rice we had in the pantry. Jenn said it was one of the best meals we've cooked, and I would say it was one of the best meals that I could replicate during the work week. The meal took about ten minutes of prep (for the chicken) and turned out tender and extremely flavorful. The good news is unlike most of the new recipes this is one I will probably be doing again in a couple of weeks.
INGREDIENTS
- 4 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/4 cup brown sugar, packed
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/4 teaspoon dried basil
DIRECTIONS
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
- Season chicken thighs with salt and pepper, to taste.
- Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a large oven-proof skillet over medium high heat. Add chicken, skin-side down, and sear both sides until golden brown, about 2-3 minutes per side; set aside.
- Melt remaining tablespoon butter in the skillet. Add garlic, and cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant, about 1-2 minutes. Remove from heat.
- Stir in brown sugar, honey, oregano, thyme and basil until well combined. Return chicken to the skillet.
- Place into oven and roast until completely cooked through, reaching an internal temperature of 175 degrees F, about 25-30 minutes.
- Serve chicken immediately, garnished with parsley, if desired.
