Pan Roasted Chicken Thighs With Raisin/Balsamic Sauce

In my previous post, I emphasized the necessity, when working with dark meat chicken to render out the fast beneath the skin and pair it with bold flavors, that is exactly what this recipe does. I have been using this preparation for a while now in which you sear the chicken in a smoking hot pan, letting all of the fat render out and then finishing it off in a very hot oven. The resulting dish is a piece of chicken with supper crispy skin and flavorful, moist and tender meat.

In this recipe, I pair the chicken with the Spanish influences, utilizing garlic, pimenton (smoked paprika,) extra virgin olive oil and raisins rehydrated with white balsamic. The complexity of flavors, between sweet, salt, acidic and smokey in unity provide a perfectly balanced dish.

Now, some people would have just read that in shock that I would ever consider extra virgin olive oil, grapes and balsamic Spanish, as if they are property of Italy, but I can assure you, after walking through the local markets in Barcelona and Valencia that these ingredients play just as much significance in the cuisine of Spain.

(Me and Mr. Going, a family friend from Cuba in the Mercat St. Joseph, Barcelona Spain. Look at all those spices! The only thing I don't love about this picture is how odd my hair looks, oh well)

In addition, when putting the chicken into the oven, I like to toss some broccoli in some of the rendered chicken fat and roasting it alongside the chicken, but this can work with most broad vegetables such as carrots and potatoes.

Ingredients:

Chicken

9 Cloves of garlic, peels and minced

1/3 cup of extra virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon of pimenton, or any smoked paprika

1 teaspoon of salt

1 teaspoon of sugar

1 teaspoon of ground coriander

4 bone in, skin on chicken thighs

Sauce

¾ cup of white balsamic, if unavailable, regular balsamic works, some port wine would be nice in this too

½ cup of golden raisins

2 tablespoons of reserved rendered fat

1 medium onion, ¼ inch dice

Large pinch of salt

2 cloves of garlic, peeled and minced

½ cup of water

1 head of broccoli, cut into small florets, a pint of brussel sprouts cut in quarters, a large potato cut into a half inch dice or a few carrots, cut into bite sized chunks

Start with the garlic in a small bowl...

Add in the olive oil and let sit for 10 minuets or so to let the garlic infuse the oil some...

Mix in the pimenton, salt, sugar and coriander, you should be left with a deep red marinade with a very smokey, garlicky aroma...

Combine with the chicken, refrigerate and allow to marinate for at least 12 hours and up to 3 days...

Preheat oven to 475 degrees

Before you start cooking the chicken, combine the balsamic and raisins and allow to soak for at least 30 minuets...

Heat a large nonstick skillet on high heat until a drop of water instantly evaporates, scrape the marinade off the chicken and add, skin side down to the screaming hot pan...

Lower the heat to medium and sear for 10 minuets, if you notice a lot of fat will render out of the skin this is a VERY good sign...

Flip the chicken and sear the other side for 2 minuets... This is a perfect sear right here, the fat from under the skin has rendered out, leaving a golden brown (NOT BURNT) and crisp skin.

Remove from the heat and place on a baking sheet, pour some of the rendered fat over the vegetable of choice and toss to coat. Add the vegetables alongside the chicken...

Put the pan in the preheated over and cook for 20 minuets...

Remove from the oven and allow to sit for 5-10 minuets to allow the juices to stabilize, theres nothing worst than cooking a piece of meat that smells amazing and failing to let it rest before cutting into it, letting all of the juices to escape...

Meanwhile, when there are 10 minuets left in cooking the chicken, discard all of the remaining fat from the skillet, leaving 2 tablespoons, heat the skillet on medium heat and add the onion and pinch of salt, cook until translucent, about 10 minuets, add the garlic and cook until fragrant...

Drain the raisins, reserving ½ cup of balsamic, add the soaked raisins to the skillet, turn the heat to high stir to combine and cook for about 3 minuets. Pour in the reserved balsamic to deglaze, reduce until quite syrupy...

Add in the water and cook until reduced to a thick consistancy...

And there ya go, perfectly sear chicken, crispy skin, moist flesh and perfect sauce. Excluding idol marinating time, this takes less than 45 minuets and for two servings of chicken and broccoli, it costs around $7.