MAPLE AND BLACK PEPPER CHICKEN
Adapted from Cooking with Shelburne Farms: Food and Stories from Vermont.
Serves 4.
Equipment
large skillet, not nonstick 9×13-inch baking pan, lined with foil
Ingredients
1 whole chicken, cut into pieces, skin and bones intact (or 3 or 4 chicken breasts, with skin and bones)
1-1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 tablespoon olive oil
SAUCE
1 large shallot, finely chopped
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh thyme leaves
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/3 cup (80 ml) apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup (120 ml) maple syrup
1-1/2 teaspoons whole black peppercorns, slightly crushed
Preparation
1. Preheat the oven to 375° F/190° C.
2. Pat the chicken dry and sprinkle the skin side with the kosher salt. Heat the olive oil in the skillet until the oil shimmers. Place the chicken breasts in the pan, skin side down, and cook until crispy and lightly golden, about 7 to 9 minutes. Remove from the pan and put in the prepared baking pan.
3. Add the thighs and legs to the pan, skin side down, and cook until crispy and lightly golden, about 10 minutes. Add to the baking pan. Reserve the skillet and 2 tablespoons of the drippings for the sauce.
4. Roast the chicken pieces uncovered for about 30 to 35 minutes, until the meat closes to the bone is opaque. Temperature should be about 165° F/75° C for the breasts and 175° F/80° C for the thighs and legs.
5. SAUCE: Make the sauce while the chicken roasts. Increase the heat to medium-high and add the shallots, thyme, and kosher salt, cooking for 1 to 2 minutes, just until the shallots start to show some color.
6. Add the cider vinegar to deglaze the pan, and simmer for about 2 minutes, scraping up the fond (the brown bits) from the bottom of the pan.
7. Stir in the maple syrup and the crushed peppercorns and simmer for 8 to 10 minutes. The sauce should reduce by about half. Season to taste.
8. Pour the sauce over the chicken pieces and serve immediately.
Sylvia's Notes: I used bone in skinless seasoned thighs and baked them at 370 degrees F for 45 minutes. When done I transferred the thighs to a serving dish and poured the sauce over them. Yum!
Edit was to reorganize the recipe to read more clearly.
Adapted from Cooking with Shelburne Farms: Food and Stories from Vermont.
Serves 4.
Equipment
large skillet, not nonstick 9×13-inch baking pan, lined with foil
Ingredients
1 whole chicken, cut into pieces, skin and bones intact (or 3 or 4 chicken breasts, with skin and bones)
1-1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 tablespoon olive oil
SAUCE
1 large shallot, finely chopped
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh thyme leaves
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/3 cup (80 ml) apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup (120 ml) maple syrup
1-1/2 teaspoons whole black peppercorns, slightly crushed
Preparation
1. Preheat the oven to 375° F/190° C.
2. Pat the chicken dry and sprinkle the skin side with the kosher salt. Heat the olive oil in the skillet until the oil shimmers. Place the chicken breasts in the pan, skin side down, and cook until crispy and lightly golden, about 7 to 9 minutes. Remove from the pan and put in the prepared baking pan.
3. Add the thighs and legs to the pan, skin side down, and cook until crispy and lightly golden, about 10 minutes. Add to the baking pan. Reserve the skillet and 2 tablespoons of the drippings for the sauce.
4. Roast the chicken pieces uncovered for about 30 to 35 minutes, until the meat closes to the bone is opaque. Temperature should be about 165° F/75° C for the breasts and 175° F/80° C for the thighs and legs.
5. SAUCE: Make the sauce while the chicken roasts. Increase the heat to medium-high and add the shallots, thyme, and kosher salt, cooking for 1 to 2 minutes, just until the shallots start to show some color.
6. Add the cider vinegar to deglaze the pan, and simmer for about 2 minutes, scraping up the fond (the brown bits) from the bottom of the pan.
7. Stir in the maple syrup and the crushed peppercorns and simmer for 8 to 10 minutes. The sauce should reduce by about half. Season to taste.
8. Pour the sauce over the chicken pieces and serve immediately.
Sylvia's Notes: I used bone in skinless seasoned thighs and baked them at 370 degrees F for 45 minutes. When done I transferred the thighs to a serving dish and poured the sauce over them. Yum!
Edit was to reorganize the recipe to read more clearly.