Eye for a Recipe

This delicious recipe from thekitchn.com turns economical chicken thighs into a dinner party-worthy entrée. Brown the chicken thighs, top with a balsamic, Dijon, honey, garlic and sage glaze, sprinkle with some fresh figs and roast. I used dried figs instead of fresh and they worked well.

Avoiding Additives and Preservatives

Look for a balsamic vinegar with only naturally occurring sulfites and a Dijon with no additives or preservatives. I use Spectrum Organic balsamic vinegar and President’s Choice Old-Fashioned Dijon.

Brown chicken thighs in oven-safe pan

Top with balsamic, Dijon, honey, garlic and sage glaze and add figs

Balsamic and mustard-glazed chicken with figs

Ingredients:

½ cup (125 ml) balsamic vinegar

2 tablespoons (30 ml) Dijon mustard

2 tablespoons (30 ml) olive oil, divided

1 tablespoon (15 ml) honey

1 tablespoon (15 ml) coarsely chopped fresh sage leaves

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 pounds (900 g) bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (4 to 6)

Kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

8 fresh figs, halved or quartered if large

Preparation:

Arrange a rack in the middle of the oven and heat to 350°F (176°C).

To make the glaze, whisk the vinegar, mustard, 1 tablespoon (15 ml) of olive oil, honey, sage, and garlic together in a small bowl; set aside.

Pat the chicken thighs dry with paper towels and season on both sides with salt and pepper.

Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon (15 ml) of olive oil in a large cast iron or oven-safe skillet over medium-high heat until the oil is shimmering but not smoking. Add the chicken skin-side down and cook until the fat is rendered and the skin is crisp and golden-brown, adjusting the heat if the skin begins to burn, 6 to 8 minutes.

Flip the chicken thighs and scatter the figs around them. Carefully pour the glaze evenly over the chicken and figs. Transfer the skillet to the oven and cook, spooning some of the glaze in the skillet back over the chicken halfway through, until chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165°F (74°C), 10 to 12 minutes total. Serve the chicken with the sauce. Serves 4-6.

From thekitchn.com

These tasty chicken legs from Jamie Oliver are quick and easy to make and are a great weekend dinner on a chilly night. Nestle chicken legs, basil, tomatoes, garlic and hot pepper in a baking dish and cook low and slow until the chicken is tender and the skin is crisp.

Avoiding Additives and Preservatives

This recipe uses all-natural ingredients. If you use dried hot pepper flakes, check to be sure they don’t contain colour or anti-caking agents.

Nestle chicken legs in baking dish and add tomatoes, garlic, basil and spices

Tender and crisp chicken legs

Ingredients:

4 chicken legs

Sea salt & freshly ground black pepper

1 big bunch fresh basil, leaves picked, stalks finely chopped

2 big handfuls red and yellow cherry tomatoes and ripe plum or beefsteak tomatoes, cherry tomatoes halved, plum tomatoes quartered

1 whole bulb garlic, broken into cloves

1 fresh red chile, finely chopped, or a big pinch of dried chile flakes

Olive oil

Preparation:

Heat your oven to 350°F (180°C). Season your chicken pieces all over with salt and pepper and put them into a snug-fitting pan in one layer, skin side up. Throw in all the basil leaves and stalks, then chuck in your tomatoes. Scatter the garlic cloves into the pan with the chopped chile and drizzle over some olive oil. Mix around a bit, pushing the tomatoes underneath.

Place in the oven, uncovered, for 1½ hours, turning any of the exposed tomatoes halfway through, until the chicken skin is crisp and the meat is falling off the bone. If after an hour or so the skin isn’t crisping to your liking, you can put it under the broiler for a bit at the end, rotating the pan occasionally and watching closely, until you get the skin as brown as you like. Just don’t let the sauce simmer too vigorously or the meat might toughen up.

You can serve the chicken with some simple mashed potatoes. Squeeze the garlic out of the skins before serving. You could even make it part of a pasta dish—remove the chicken meat from the bone and shred it, then toss into a bowl of linguini or spaghetti and serve at once. Serves 4.

From Jamie Oliver