Brandy Chicken with Onions
By Matthew FairmanPublished on June 25, 2018
Time
1¼ hours
Yield
Serves 4 to 6
Ingredients
Before You Begin
The choice of brandy is important to the success of this recipe. We recommend using a brandy that you'd be happy drinking. For a nonalcoholic version of this recipe, substitute ½ cup of water for the brandy in step 3 and omit the 1 tablespoon of brandy in step 5. Serve with crusty bread.
Instructions
- Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Pat chicken dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper.
- Heat oil in 12-inch ovensafe nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Add chicken, skin side down, and cook until well browned, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer chicken to plate, skin side up.
- Pour off all but 2 tablespoons fat from skillet. Off heat, add onions, ½ cup brandy, garlic, thyme sprigs, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper to skillet. Bring mixture to boil over medium-high heat. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until brandy has evaporated and onions have started to brown, 5 to 7 minutes. Uncover and continue to cook, stirring often, until onions are well browned, 3 to 5 minutes longer.
- Off heat, add chicken to skillet, skin side up, along with any accumulated juices. Transfer skillet to oven and bake until chicken registers 175 degrees, 20 to 25 minutes. Transfer chicken to clean plate; let chicken rest for 5 minutes.
- Discard thyme sprigs. Place skillet over medium heat (skillet handle will be hot) and stir in butter and remaining 1 tablespoon brandy. Cook until butter is melted and sauce is slightly thickened, about 1 minute. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Return chicken to skillet, skin side up. Sprinkle with parsley and serve.
Time
1¼ hoursYield
Serves 4 to 6Ingredients
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
Test Kitchen Techniques
Why This Recipe Works
In a bid to elevate the humble chicken dinner, we reached for a few shots of brandy to see if we could turn out crispy-skinned, succulent chicken in a lovely caramelized onion and brandy sauce. We began with chicken thighs (a flavorful and forgiving cut, just perfect for this comforting dish), which we placed skin side down in a 12-inch nonstick skillet to render some of the fat and give the skin a bit of crunch. With the chicken transferred to a plate, we next opted for a shortcut to caramelized onions by adding brandy to the skillet along with some sliced onions before covering the skillet so that the onions would steam in the brandy and break down more quickly. After placing the chicken back in the skillet (skin side up to keep the skin crispy), we popped the skillet into a 350-degree oven to finish cooking the chicken and allow the onions to soak up the rendered juices.
Before You Begin
The choice of brandy is important to the success of this recipe. We recommend using a brandy that you'd be happy drinking. For a nonalcoholic version of this recipe, substitute ½ cup of water for the brandy in step 3 and omit the 1 tablespoon of brandy in step 5. Serve with crusty bread.
Instructions
- Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Pat chicken dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper.
- Heat oil in 12-inch ovensafe nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Add chicken, skin side down, and cook until well browned, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer chicken to plate, skin side up.
- Pour off all but 2 tablespoons fat from skillet. Off heat, add onions, ½ cup brandy, garlic, thyme sprigs, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper to skillet. Bring mixture to boil over medium-high heat. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until brandy has evaporated and onions have started to brown, 5 to 7 minutes. Uncover and continue to cook, stirring often, until onions are well browned, 3 to 5 minutes longer.
- Off heat, add chicken to skillet, skin side up, along with any accumulated juices. Transfer skillet to oven and bake until chicken registers 175 degrees, 20 to 25 minutes. Transfer chicken to clean plate; let chicken rest for 5 minutes.
- Discard thyme sprigs. Place skillet over medium heat (skillet handle will be hot) and stir in butter and remaining 1 tablespoon brandy. Cook until butter is melted and sauce is slightly thickened, about 1 minute. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Return chicken to skillet, skin side up. Sprinkle with parsley and serve.
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