Roasted Chicken Thighs with Late-Summer Vegetables & Pan Sauce

Serves three to four.

by Martha Holmberg
from Fine Cooking
Issue 87
Last Edit Date: 5/20/2011 12:32:14 PM

We consider this dish late-summer comfort food. The chicken thighs cook up moist and tender and are more flavorful than chicken breasts, and the aromatic herbs and roasted vegetables make it a meal you'll want to savor.

more about:

6 skin-on, bone-in chicken thighs (2-1/2 to 3 lb.)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 lb. green beans, stem ends trimmed (2 cups)
10 oz. cherry or grape tomatoes (2 cups)
One-half large sweet onion (like Vidalia or Walla Walla) or red onion, cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices
1/2 cup pitted Niçoise or Kalamata olives
2 large cloves garlic, sliced about 1/8 inch thick
3/4 cup dry white wine
1 tsp. unsalted butter (optional)
1/2 cup loosely packed fresh basil leaves, sliced into 1/2-inch strips

Position two racks near the center of the oven and heat the oven to 425°F. Heat a 10- to 11-inch heavy, ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Generously season the chicken on both sides with salt and pepper. Pour 1 Tbs. of the oil into the hot skillet and swirl to coat. Arrange the chicken thighs skin side down in the pan and cook until the skin is golden brown, about 7 min. Turn the chicken over. If a lot of fat has accumulated, carefully spoon it off and discard.

While the chicken browns, toss the beans, tomatoes, onion, olives, and garlic in a large bowl with the remaining 2 Tbs. oil. Season with 3/4 tsp. salt and several grinds of pepper and spread the vegetables on a rimmed baking sheet.

Put the skillet of chicken and the baking sheet with the vegetables in the oven, with the chicken on the higher rack. Roast the chicken until a thermometer inserted in the center of a thigh registers 170°F, 18 to 20 min. Continue to roast the vegetables until very soft and beginning to brown, 8 to 12 min. more.

Meanwhile, remove the skillet from the oven and transfer the chicken to a plate. Spoon off and discard as much fat as possible from the chicken juices, add the wine, set over high heat, and boil until reduced to about 1/4 cup sauce, 4 to 6 min.; it should be syrupy and concentrated in flavor. Swirl in the butter, if using.

Remove the vegetables from the oven and toss them with the basil. Divide the vegetables among four plates. Arrange one or two chicken thighs on the vegetables and drizzle with the pan sauce. Serve immediately.

Serving Suggestions

Finish the meal with more comfort food: Try an Apple-Blackberry Crisp or use the Recipe Maker to create your own fruit crisp recipe.

nutrition information (per serving):
Size : based on four servings; Calories (kcal): 460; Fat (g): 31; Fat Calories (kcal): 280; Saturated Fat (g): 7; Protein (g): 26; Monounsaturated Fat (g): 17; Carbohydrates (g): 12; Polyunsaturated Fat (g): 5; Sodium (mg): 690; Cholesterol (mg): 90; Fiber (g): 3;

Photo: Scott Phillips

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by MidwesternFoodie, 9/9/2012When you wake up the next morning thinking about the dinner you had last night you know it's a great recipe! I used a cut up chicken (put the veggies and the breasts in for 10 min then added the thighs and drummies). I set the temp to 400* and cooked 30 min total. Perfect. The olives are fantastic. We did not find this too salty, perfect in fact. (I used all kosher salt.) Beautiful presentation also. Would be great for company. Served with crusty bread and a Sancerre.

by MissyU, 9/3/2012This recipe is delicious and comes together easily to make a beautiful dish. I will definitely make this again! Served with rice to soak up the wonderful sauce.

by mrspenston, 2/28/2011My family love this recipe. We discovered it late summer, but I have been struggling since then all through winter to limit us to eating it less than once a week so that we don't burn out on it. The flavors are fabulous, and it definitely hits the comfort food note strongly. I agree that you need to watch the salt. The first time I made it I over-seasoned the chicken. The pan sauce is to die for. Thanks for this great recipe!

by Kirt3y, 1/29/2011The sauce and the vegetable combination brought this dish together very nicely. Easy to make and a very nice treat on a cold winter day.

by skipp84, 9/30/2010Great recipe, used some of the last green beans, basil and cherry tomatoes picked from the garden that day. Excellent combination of flavors, salt is to the cook's taste, so take the olives into consideration when seasoning. Would definitely make again.

by DJ, 9/27/2010Great fall dinner-nice mix of flavors. Wouldn't change a thing. There is not too much salt in this recipe. 690 mg of salt from the olives-there is 2300mg in a teaspoon of salt. Don't blame the recipe because someone oversalted their food.

by lodgealumni, 9/26/2010TOO MUCH SALT...YUK....skip the kalamatas, cut the salt out entirely, and season to taste at the end. BP through the ROOF with all that salt!!! Otherwise? wonderful, will give it a second chance

by bxchick616, 9/23/2010Followed the recipe exactly. It was great and my hubby loved it. Quick and simple.

by JoanT, 9/3/2010Fast, easy and delicious!! I added fresh corn cut off the cob, during the last 10 minutes of roasting the vegetables. This was a hit with my entire family.

by Elonios, 8/31/2010I also roasted my veggies as long as my thighs. The results were delicious. I added some red bell pepper, red pepper flakes, sliced zucchini (near the end) and a splash of red wine vinegar when I pulled the veggies out of the oven. The pan sauce was great and it was perfect for one of the first fall nights of the year.

by catwoman600, 8/30/2010This is a superb recipe! I added fresh corn---sliced from the cob---as well to it and it's fantastic. I found that I needed to roast my thighs just as long as the vegetables, however. Otherwise.....TERRIFIC!