Skillet chicken piccata - keto, low carb, paleo, Whole30

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I am very, very excited about recipes I can make in one skillet. Because then I only have one skillet to wash when dinner is over.

This Skillet Chicken Piccata has all of my favorite things: chicken thighs, lemon, capers, olives, and wine. It was ready half an hour after I walked in the door last night. It fits into my keto low carb diet, and if you're eating paleo or Whole30 it works for that too.

And if my husband hadn't been elbowing me out the way, I would have eaten the whole thing standing up at the counter.

I love boneless skinless chicken thighs. They've got all of that amazing chicken flavor, they don't dry out, they're impossible to overcook, and while I do love chicken skin, sometimes it's just easier not to have to deal with skin and bones.

This is my new favorite easy dinner recipe. Enjoy!

Yield: 4Author: Erika Kerekes

Skillet Chicken Piccata

prep time: 10 minscook time: 20 minstotal time: 30 mins

An easy one-pan chicken dinner, bright and tangy with lemon, capers, olives and white wine.

ingredients:

• 8 boneless skinless chicken thighs
• Salt and pepper
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 1 lemon (Meyer or regular), thinly sliced
• 1/4 cup finely chopped olives, any kind
• 3 Tablespoons capers
• 1/4 cup white wine

instructions:

1. Sprinkle salt and pepper liberally on both sides of the chicken thighs. Heat the oven to 375 degrees.
2. Heat the olive oil in a large ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat.
3. Add the chicken to the skillet and cook until golden brown on both sides, 2-3 minutes per side.  Turn off the heat. 
4. Scatter the lemon slices, olives and capers around the chicken, tucking the lemon slices between the chicken thighs. Pour the white wine into the pan and transfer the skillet to the oven.
5. Bake the chicken about 20 minutes, until the lemon slices are wilted and starting to char, the chicken is golden brown and cooked through, and the liquid in the pan is reduced and syrupy.  Serve immediately.

Created using The Recipes Generator

Meyer lemon chicken with fresh cranberries

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There's nothing I love more than a simple roast chicken recipe that fits into my low carb ketogenic diet and is also drop-dead gorgeous.

Meyer Lemon Chicken with Fresh Cranberries cooked in my cast iron skillet is just beautiful, isn't it? Golden chicken skin. Orange-yellow Meyer lemons from my backyard tree. Ruby-red cranberries. I love looking at it. Eating it is pretty heavenly, too.

I made this yesterday for our very small Thanksgiving lunch. We had a change of plans this year because my 15-year-old son got sick. We were supposed to travel to northern California to visit my in-laws, whom I adore. But we didn't want to bring them his germs, and he wasn't feeling up to making the trip. So my husband went to share the holiday with his parents, and the teen and I stayed home and spent the day in our pajamas. I made him hot honey lemonade and soup, and we both had roast chicken for lunch.

I bought a bag of fresh cranberries because they were so beautiful...but then, in my current mode of avoiding sugar, juice, and most natural and artificial sweeteners, I wasn't sure what to do with them. News flash: cranberries without sugar are like tiny red lemons. I love the tartness paired with savory chicken thighs and didn't miss the sugar at all.

Notes: Frozen cranberries would work fine, as would regular lemons instead of Meyer lemons. Don't skimp on the salt and pepper.

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Meyer Lemon Chicken with Fresh Cranberries

by Erika Kerekes November-24-2017

Roast chicken thighs with fragrant Meyer lemons and fresh cranberries for this drop-dead stunning skillet dinner. The cranberries are very tart, but that's what makes the dish work. Resist the urge to add sugar - you don't need it.

Ingredients

• 4 large chicken thighs, skin on, bone-in
• salt and freshly ground pepper
• 1 Meyer lemon, thinly sliced
• 1 cup fresh cranberries

Instructions

Heat the oven to 325 degrees F.Heat a large ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle the chicken thighs liberally with salt and pepper on both sides.Lay the chicken skin side down into the hot skillet. Cook without moving for 5-7 minutes, until the skin is golden brown and crisp.Turn the chicken thighs over and turn off the heat. Lay one beautiful slice of Meyer lemon on top of each piece of chicken. Scatter the remaining lemon slices and the fresh cranberries around the skillet. Slide the skillet into the oven. Roast the chicken for 50 minutes, until it is cooked through and the lemon slices on top have begun to caramelize.Remove the skillet from the oven. Serve immediately.

Details

Prep time: 5 mins Cook time: 55 mins Total time: 1 hour Yield: 4 servings

Paleo chicken croquettes with Fruitchup paleo ketchup

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What do you do with leftover roast chicken or rotisserie chicken? I'll often turn it into chicken salad, but yesterday I wanted something different...and I was really in the mood for something I could dip into Fruitchup, the brand-new paleo ketchup I launched this week.

So I put my leftover cooked chicken into the food processor with an egg, some onion and a little mayonnaise, rolled little logs of the mixture in coconut flour, and fried them in avocado oil, for some absolutely perfect paleo chicken croquettes. They were great warm, excellent at room temperature, and delicious cold in the morning. And they were PERFECT with the Fruitchup, a bold ketchup that's sweetened with fruit (raisins and dates) instead of sugar or corn syrup.

I realize it's ironic that after three-plus years running a company called Not Ketchup, I am now making...ketchup. But my new Fruitchup has a lot in common with my Not Ketchup sauces. They're all paleo, low-carb, vegan, gluten free, and diabetic-friendly. And they're all made without any added sugar, sweetened only with real fruit.

There's enough sugar in the world. We could all stand to eat less of it. Fruitchup has zero added sugar, zero corn syrup, and about half the sugar per serving of regular ketchup. It's not sugar-free, because fruit has natural sugar, of course. But it's way better for you than the regular red stuff, which is mostly corn syrup and white sugar.

Check out my new Fruitchup paleo ketchup on my website, or buy Fruitchup on Amazon. And make these paleo chicken croquettes - they are fantabulous (as my late father would have said).

Paleo Chicken Croquettes

30 minutes | Makes about 12 2-inch croquettes

Ingredients

• 2 cups cooked chicken
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup pickles, capers, or sauerkraut (trust me on this)
• 1/2 cup coconut flour
• Oil, for frying
• Fruitchup paleo ketchup, for serving

Instructions

• Place the chicken, egg, mayonnaise, salt, pepper, and pickles (or whatever you're using) into a food processor. Process until relatively smooth. If the mixture seems too loose to form into small logs, refrigerate for 30 minutes to let it firm up.
• Put the coconut flour in a shallow bowl. Roll small logs or patties of the chicken mixture with your hands, then coat them in the coconut flour. You should end up with about a dozen 2-inch logs.
• Heat the oil in a shallow frying pan over medium-high heat. Fry the croquettes until golden brown on both sides. Drain briefly on a plate lined with paper towel.
• Serve immediately with Fruitchup paleo ketchup or your favorite dipping sauce.

Hatch chile chicken salad

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When Hatch chiles are in season, I turn into a crazy girl who stalks her local produce guy and pounces on every case he sets out. Thank goodness Melissa's Produce keeps Bob's Market, the family-owned market in my neighborhood, fully stocked with both mild and hot Hatch chiles when they're available.

Every year I roast dozens of Hatch chiles over an open flame right on my stove, slip off the charred skins, and freeze them in zip-top bags. (See How to Roast Hatch Chiles on Shockingly Delicious for detailed instructions.)

Hatch chiles have a unique flavor and meaty texture that's long been prized in New Mexico where they're grown. They can be hot or mild, but even the mild ones have a little kick. In fact, I love Hatch chiles so much that I created a new flavor of Not Ketchup around them - and now Tangerine Hatch Chile Not Ketchup is my best-selling sauce!

When I puree roasted Hatch chiles with mayonnaise and make chicken salad, my family weeps with joy. Okay, maybe they weep because it's spicy, but whatever. They really like it. And you will too.

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Hatch chile chicken salad

by Erika Kerekes August-21-2013

Roasted Hatch chiles add a welcome zing to this spicy chicken salad.

Ingredients

• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 4 mild or hot Hatch chiles, roasted, peeled, and seeded
• 1 lime, juice only
• 1 clove garlic
• 1 store-bought rotisserie chicken
• 1 bunch green onions, chopped
• salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Instructions

Puree the mayonnaise, Hatch chiles, lime juice, and garlic in a blender or food processor until smooth.Pull the chicken meat off the bones, shredding it with your fingers. Discard the bones and skin (or save them to make chicken stock). Put the chicken meat in a large bowl with the green onions. Spoon the Hatch chile mayonnaise into the bowl and stir to combine. Add salt and freshly ground pepper to taste.Serve chilled. If you have time to let the chicken salad sit in the refrigerator for a few hours before serving, great - the flavors will mingle and intensify.

Details

Prep time: 15 mins Cook time: 5 mins Total time: 20 mins Yield: 4-6 servings

Almond-crusted pesto chicken breasts [low carb]

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Because I've been trying to follow a low-carb diet for the past year, I have spent a lot of time with almond flour. Almonds and almond flour are a staple of the low-carb high fat (LCHF) way of eating.

I've used almond flour for baking. I've made pancakes and waffles out of it. And I've used it as "breading" for vegetables, fish and chicken. It doesn't act quite the same as breadcrumbs or flour, but it's a very good substitute.

Following any healthy eating plan requires advance preparation. On the weekends, I often cook a large batch of chicken so I have something to pack in my lunchbox every day before I head to work.

This week I made almond-crusted pesto chicken breasts. Sometimes I make my own basil pesto, but I was pressed for time and used store-bought pesto. Which is totally, completely fine in a dish like this.

I packed the almond-crusted pesto chicken in my lunchbox with some oven-roasted tomatoes. One day I ate them cold. Today I warmed them in the microwave. I think I prefer it warm, but it was pretty darn good cold. I'll be making this again soon.

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Almond-Crusted Pesto Chicken

by Erika Kerekes June-28-2016

Chicken breasts brushed with basil pesto, coated in almond flour and grated cheese, and oven-roasted. An easy low-carb dinner recipe.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup almond flour
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
• 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup basil pesto sauce
• 4 large chicken breast halves, boneless and skinless

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Spray a sheet pan or baking dish with nonstick cooking spray or brush it with olive oil.In a shallow bowl or on a plate, mix together the almond flour, grated cheese, garlic salt, and pepper. Put the basil pesto sauce in another bowl.Dip both sides of one chicken breast in the pesto sauce, then roll it in the almond flour mixture to coat. Place the almond-coated chicken on the baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining three chicken pieces.Bake the chicken about 50 minutes, until it is cooked through. Serve hot or at room temperature.

Details

Prep time: 5 mins Cook time: 50 mins Total time: 55 mins Yield: 4 servings

New free ebook: The Not Ketchup Burger Book

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This new free ebook is about to turn your summer grilling and entertaining up to 11.

(Yep, that's a Spinal Tap reference, I'm dating myself.)

Introducing The Not Ketchup Burger Book. This book has 10 of the most delicious burger recipes you've ever tasted. My sweet and tangy Not Ketchup sauces make every burger something truly special.

The recipes:

• Cherry Chipotle Breakfast Burger
• Citrus Crab Cakes with Tangerine Dressing
• Blueberry Bison Burger
• Cherry Chipotle Southwestern Turkey Burger Bowl
• Smoky Date Banh Mi Pork Burger
• Spiced Fig Lamb Sliders
• Spicy Salmon Burger
• Smoky Date Veggie Burger
• Classic Cherry Chipotle Burger
• Tangerine Shrimp Cilantro Burger

I was lucky to have my friend Laura Bashar, who writes the gorgeous blog Family Spice and is co-author of Cooking Techniques with Olive Oil, do all the styling, photography and graphic design. I'm telling you, these are some of the most beautiful burger photos I've ever seen. (If you're looking for an ebook for your business, I highly, highly recommend her and would be happy to put you in touch.)

Click here to get The FREE Not Ketchup Burger Book. I hope you enjoy it!

Buy Not Ketchup on Amazon.com - free shipping with Prime!

Meyer lemon chicken thighs

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Meyer lemon chicken thighs. This is one of the easiest chicken dishes I have ever made, and I love it beyond all others.

It uses four ingredients, and that's counting salt and pepper. 

It's made in one pan (a heavy, ovenproof skillet).

It's fancy enough for company. 

It's paleo, gluten-free, grain-free, dairy-free, whole 30, low-carb, and probably ticks a few more boxes as well.

Oh. And it's delicious.

If you can't get your hands on Meyer lemons, any old lemon will do. I like Meyer lemons because they have an almost floral aroma and are less acidic than standard lemons. Also because they grow in my backyard. But seriously, use whatever lemons you have.

Ready? Time to cook.

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Meyer Lemon Chicken Thighs

by Erika Kerekes May-6-2016

A simple, delicious, stunningly beautiful chicken dish you will serve again and again. You need four ingredients, one hour, and a hearty appetite.

Ingredients

• 1 Meyer lemon (or regular lemon)
• 4 large chicken thighs, bone in and skin on
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

Heat the oven to 350 degrees F.Using a sharp knife, slice the lemon into very thin rounds. Set aside. Sprinkle both sides of the chicken thighs with the salt and pepper.Heat a large, heavy, ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Lay the chicken thighs in the skillet, skin side down. Cook without moving for about 6 minutes, until some of the fat has rendered and the skin is golden brown and crisp.Turn over the chicken thighs so the skin side is up. Lay a thin lemon slice on top of each chicken thigh. Tuck the remaining lemon pieces into the skillet, around the chicken pieces. Put the skillet into the oven. Roast about 45 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through. If the lemon slices haven't started to caramelize (turn brown around the edges), turn on the broiler for no more than 1-2 minutes, watching the chicken carefully so it doesn't burn.Remove from the oven and serve immediately.

Details

Prep time: 5 mins Cook time: 55 mins Total time: 1 hour Yield: 4 servings

Roast chicken with 40 cloves of garlic

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To paraphrase a popular chick flick:

In winter, we eat chicken with garlic.

On pink plates.

Note: This recipe is super easy when you buy one of those huge containers of peeled garlic cloves from Costco (or whichever big-box store you frequent).

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Roasted Garlic Chicken

by Erika Kerekes January-28-2016

Chicken. Garlic. Oven. What else do you need?

Ingredients

• 8 large chicken thighs, bone-in and skin on
• 1 Tablespoon herbes de Provence, Italian herb mix, or any other dried herb mix you prefer
• 1 cup fresh garlic cloves, peeled
• 1 lemon
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• salt and pepper

Instructions

Heat the oven to 450 degrees. Spray a large roasting pan with nonstick cooking spray.Lay the chicken pieces in the pan, skin side up. Sprinkle them with the dried herb mix and scatter the garlic cloves around them. Cut the lemon in half and squeeze the juice over the chicken. Put the lemon halves in the roasting pan. Drizzle the chicken with the olive oil, then shower it generously with salt and pepper.Turn the chicken pieces over so the skin side is down. Put the roasting pan in the oven. Set the timer for 15 minutes. (This step crisps the skin.)After 15 minutes, turn the heat down to 350 degrees. Bake another 40 minutes or until the chicken thighs are cooked through and very tender.Serve the chicken skin side up with the garlic cloves and pan juices poured over.

Details

Prep time: 5 mins Cook time: 55 mins Total time: 1 hour Yield: 4 servings

Paleo fried chicken with almond crust

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I've been trying to eat fewer grains lately. This is tough for me - no one is a bigger fan of the white starch category than I am. But hey, I'm coming up on 50. I figure it's time to make a few adjustments.

I came across a few "Paleo" recipes for fried chicken coated with almond meal instead of flour. I doubt I'll ever move all the way over to a true Paleo diet - it's pretty restrictive - but I thought I'd give almond-crusted fried chicken a try.

It. Was. Stupendous.

I went full-on Paleo and fried the chicken thighs in coconut oil, but if you're not following the Paleo diet strictly you can use any other high-heat frying oil, like grapeseed oil or canola oil.

ON THE SIDE: I served my fried chicken with my Not Ketchup fruit "ketchup" sauces, of course. Sweet and tangy, they're the perfect partner for this crispy, salty, umami-rich fried chicken. Pick up a bottle at NotKetchup.com or Amazon.com today!

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Paleo Fried Chicken With Almond Crust

by Erika Kerekes August-19-2015

Fried chicken coated in almond meal and spices and fried in coconut oil. Grain-free, Paleo and delicious!

Ingredients

• 2 eggs
• 2 cups almond meal or almond flour
• 1 teaspoon garlic salt
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 4 cups coconut oil (can substitute grapeseed or canola oil)
• 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs

Instructions

Crack the eggs into a medium-sized bowl and whisk until frothy. In another bowl, mix together the almond meal, garlic salt, smoked paprika and pepper until combined. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.Heat the coconut oil over medium heat in a deep, heavy pot. I use a 5-quart cast iron Dutch oven. Get the oil up to about 350 degrees F. If you're too impatient to use a thermometer (like me), wait until the surface is visibly shimmering. Dip a piece of the chicken first into the egg, then into the almond meal mixture. Make sure the chicken is coated all over with the almond meal. Drop the chicken gently into the hot oil and fry until golden brown on both sides. You'll have to work in batches, frying three or four pieces at a time (depending on the size of your pot).When the chicken is golden brown, put it on a rack set over a sheet pan (or just on a sheet pan if you don't have a rack). When all the chicken is fried, slide the pan into the oven for 15 minutes. This will ensure that even the thickest parts of the chicken are cooked through and will re-warm the pieces you fried first.Serve hot with your favorite flavor of Not Ketchup for dipping.

Details

Prep time: 10 mins Cook time: 30 mins Total time: 40 mins Yield: 4 servings

How to dress up rotisserie chicken, and big news about Not Ketchup

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Cherry Chipotle Not Ketchup on the floor at Sam's Club - yes, that's right, Sam's Club

I haven't had a lot of time to cook lately, and the photo above is one reason why.

This summer has been all about Not Ketchup, my new food business. While my kids were away at camp, I made cold calls, met with new retailers, spoke at a conference, did store demos, and generally ran around trying to get Not Ketchup into the hands and mouths of food lovers around the country.

Last week marked a big day for Not Ketchup: After half a year of negotiating and paperwork, Sam's Club in Fountain Valley, about 45 minutes south of my home, started selling a two-pack of Cherry Chipotle Not Ketchup. I went down there to offer samples to Sam's Club members a few days ago and the response was great, from both customers and the people who work there. I was nervous but the day went really well. And I can't tell you how proud I was to see my product featured in the food section next to brands that have been around for decades.

Store-bought rotisserie chicken gets a glam makeover with a Not Ketchup glaze

Ironically, the more involved I get in building my food business, the less time I spend in the kitchen. One of my favorite shortcuts is to pick up a store-bought rotisserie chicken and glam it up with Not Ketchup. Two minutes of work, 10 minutes in the oven, and you end up with a delicious, juicy bird glazed with a tangy, fruity sauce. Serve a little more Not Ketchup on the side for dipping, throw together a salad or steam some vegetables, and dinner is done.

I promise to get back to a more normal blogging schedule with real recipes soon...someday...well, if I'm being honest, probably not that soon. Que sera, sera. Apologies and thanks for bearing with me.

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Rotisserie Chicken with Not Ketchup

by Erika Kerekes August-27-2014

Dress up a store-bought rotisserie chicken by brushing it with any flavor of Not Ketchup fruit "ketchup" sauce. Two minutes of work, 10 minutes in the oven, and dinner is ready.

Ingredients

• 1 store-bought rotisserie chicken, cooked
• 1 cup Not Ketchup sauce, any flavor, plus more for serving

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.Put the rotisserie chicken in a baking dish. Pour the Not Ketchup over the chicken and spread into all the crevices with your hands or the back of a spoon.Warm the chicken in the oven 10-15 minutes, until the Not Ketchup glaze is bubbling and looks glossy and sticky. Take the chicken out of the oven and let rest 5 minutes. Serve immediately with more Not Ketchup on the side for dipping.

Details

Prep time: 2 mins Cook time: 13 mins Total time: 15 mins Yield: 4 servings

Erika's ultimate chicken burger, no grill required

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I know you're supposed to grill burgers.

But for chicken burgers - even when the ground chicken mixture includes plenty of dark meat - I find the grill too aggressive. There's nothing worse than a dry chicken burger. And that's what I get when I cook chicken burgers on the grill.

My favorite chicken burger is moist, well seasoned, studded with chopped green onions, and cooked in a skillet on the stove. Three ingredients, not counting the bun, the garnish, and the sauce. You'll have dinner on the table in less than half an hour.

About the sauce: My favorite for chicken burgers is Blueberry White Pepper Not Ketchup. The combination of sweet, tangy, peppery and savory brings a lot of zest to the delicate chicken. In fact, when I was first working on the recipes for my Not Ketchup sauces, I tested the blueberry prototype on chicken breasts, chicken thighs, chicken tenders, and roast chicken. Blueberries and chicken...who knew?

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Erika's Ultimate Chicken Burger

by Erika Kerekes July-16-2014

A moist chicken burger that's well seasoned, studded with green onions, and served with Blueberry White Pepper Not Ketchup.

Ingredients

• 1 pound ground chicken
• 1/2 cup green onions, chopped
• 1 teaspoon garlic salt
• 1 Tablespoon olive oil
• 4 burger buns or rolls
• 1 cup Blueberry White Pepper Not Ketchup
• 2 cups baby lettuce mix or arugula

Instructions

In a large bowl, mix the ground chicken, green onions, and garlic salt with your hands until well combined. Divide the chicken mixture into four equal parts, then shape into four patties.Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the olive oil, then place the chicken burgers in the pan. Cook about 10 minutes on the first side, then flip and cook until the burgers are cooked all the way through, about 8 minutes more. Put the burgers on a plate, cover with foil, and let rest 5 minutes.To serve, spread some Blueberry White Pepper Not Ketchup on the bottom half of each bun and place a chicken burger on it. Drizzle with more Not Ketchup, add a handful of lettuce or arugula to each burger, and place the other half of each bun on top. Serve immediately.

Details

Prep time: 5 mins Cook time: 20 mins Total time: 25 mins Yield: 4 servings

Roast chicken thighs with blueberries and rosemary

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Chicken thighs with a sauce of fresh blueberries, white wine, balsamic vinegar and rosemary

[This post is sponsored by the U.S. Highbush Blueberry Council.]

Fifteen years ago today, I was eating blueberries.

How do I know? Because 15 years ago today I was eight weeks pregnant with my older son, and all I craved during my first trimester were blueberries. I ate at least two pints of blueberries a day for the first three months of my pregnancy.

The Biggest Loser star Alison Sweeney and her family love blueberries too. Sweeney, who's working with the U.S. Highbush Blueberry Council to spread the word about the healthy benefits of blueberries, answered a few questions recently about her family's blueberry habits:

Alison's favorite breakfast with blueberries: "Oatmeal + blueberries + agave nectar + cinnamon. There are only 80 calories in a cup of blueberries and it gives me fiber and vitamin C. And my kids love the flavor combo." 

Most unusual blueberry dish Alison's ever tasted: "Blueberries on pizza!"

Alison's pregnancy cravings: "Pickles. When I was pregnant I had to ask the deli counter if I could eat one while waiting for my sandwich, and another for after. Ellen (DeGeneres) even teased me about it by giving me a massive tub of pickles. It was hilarious."

(Okay, I realize her answer to the pregnancy craving question had nothing to do with blueberries. But I thought it was hilarious too!)

Most of the fresh blueberries I buy get washed and eaten out of hand, although occasionally I have some left over for baking (try the best blueberry muffins in the world). But I've been looking for ways to incorporate more blueberries into our meals. Turns out blueberries and chicken were meant for each other. Try this simple recipe combining roast chicken thighs, fresh blueberries, white wine, and rosemary - the sauce has a sweet-and-sour fruity tang my whole family loved.

Thanks to the Blueberry Council for sponsoring this post. My mother thanks the Blueberry Council too - she's been begging me for more chicken recipes. Opinions and recollections of pregnancy cravings contained within this post are, of course, my own. Follow the Blueberry Council on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and YouTube for more blueberry inspiration.

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Chicken thighs with blueberries and rosemary

by Erika Kerekes June-4-2013

Chicken and blueberries are a match made in heaven. The tangy sauce tastes delicious and looks beautiful drizzled over the crispy-skinned chicken thighs.

Ingredients

• 4 large chicken thighs (bone in, skin on)
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 Tablespoon butter
• 3/4 cup onion, diced (about 1/2 of a large yellow onion)
• 1 cup white wine
• 1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1 Tablespoon Dijon-style mustard
• 2 Tablespoons fresh rosemary, chopped
• 3 cups fresh blueberries

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.Sprinkle the skin side of the chicken thighs generously with salt and pepper. Put a large oven-proof skillet on the stove over medium-high heat. When the pan is hot, add the chicken thighs skin side down. Sear without moving at least 8-10 minutes, until the skin is a deep golden brown. Remove the chicken thighs from the pan and put them on a plate.Pour off all but 1 Tablespoon of the chicken fat in the pan, then add the butter and onion. Cook the onion about 4 minutes, until it is softened and starting to brown around the edges (if it cooks too fast, turn down the heat a little). Add the wine, vinegar, mustard, rosemary, and blueberries. Bring the blueberry mixture to a boil and let it cook about 10-15 minutes. The fruit will start to pop and the mixture should start to thicken and reduce - it won't be thick, but it shouldn't look incredibly watery.Put the chicken thighs back in the pan, skin side up this time, nestling them on top of the sauce. Try to keep the blueberry mixture off the chicken skin so the skin can crisp in the oven - if you bathe it now in the sauce it will taste good but the skin won't crisp and will turn out soft and rubbery.Put the skillet in the oven and roast the chicken for another 45 minutes. When the chicken is done, let it rest on the counter 5 minutes before serving. To serve, carefully remove the chicken thighs from the pan, put them on a platter, and drizzle the blueberry sauce around them and down the middle of each piece of chicken, leaving some of the crispy golden skin showing.

Details

Prep time: 10 mins Cook time: 1 hour 10 mins Total time: 1 hour 20 mins Yield: 4 servings

An afternoon in the Ladies' Home Journal test kitchen

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Ladies' Home Journal food and entertaining director Tara Bench in the LHJ test kitchen

One of the best side benefits of writing a food blog is participating in events like last month's King Arthur Flour Blog & Bake™. Not only did I learn how to make flaky scones, pillowy pizza dough, and pie crust, I met a dozen other bloggers and food editors who share my passion for pulling flavors together into recipes and finding exactly the right words to describe the food I love.

One of my pie crust buddies in Vermont was Tara Bench, a professional chef and recipe developer who currently directs all the food and entertaining content for Ladies' Home Journal magazine. I had a few free hours during a recent business trip to New York, so I asked Tara if I could stop by to say hi. Perfect, she said - I'll be in the test kitchen making chicken. And she wasn't kidding - Tara and assistant food editor Hilary Merzbacher needed to finalize 25 chicken recipes for an upcoming issue.

Ever wondered what goes on in a magazine's professional test kitchen? The refrigerator looked like mine - the door was full of half-used condiments, the main compartment held plastic containers with leftovers and bagged produce. Lots of cabinets, drawers and shelves. Great lighting. Two sinks, two stoves. And a huge center island. Definitely enough room for two cooks to coexist comfortably, maybe even three.

So how do these two chefs come up with 25 chicken recipes? First, they brainstorm, making sure there's a mix on all fronts. Some recipes used whole chicken, others breasts or legs or wings or ground chicken. They needed a mix of ethnicities and a mix of cooking methods (oven vs. stove vs. grill). Then they sat down and wrote out all the recipes. Next, they ordered ingredients for each dish from the neighborhood grocery store. Then they made each dish as written, tasted, and noted what needed to be adjusted. Some of the recipes required enough changes that they decided to re-make them. Finished dishes got plated and photographed to show to the editors, who would then choose which dishes should be photographed for the final spread. Then they'll have to make the hero dishes again, style them, and bring them to the in-house photo studio to be shot for the magazine.

The chicken: delicious in all forms. The company: also delicious. Tara and Hilary even let me use a corner of their kitchen to cook up a batch of my favorite chicken rice fritters for them to taste. Here are a few shots from the afternoon:

Penne with chicken bolognese and ricotta

My chicken rice fritters with lemon-mustard mayo

Oven-baked chicken risotto with sweet potatoes - this recipe needed another  round of testing, as the texture wasn't exactly what Tara wanted

Chicken salad in lettuce cups - nice and light for a summer lunch

Chicken with succotash

Baked chicken with chili sauce - sweet and spicy

Me in the test kitchen

Spaghetti with chicken meatballs and marinara

Tara in her LHJ chef' jacket

Note: I attended the 2013 King Arthur Flour Blog & Bake™ at the King Arthur Flour Baking Education Center as a very grateful guest of King Arthur Flour.