Today’s adventure in Saturday night suppers is Chicken Thighs in Sun Dried Tomato Sauce. As a bonus we prepped a side dish, Roasted Asparagus in Lemon Vinaigrette. Both are reasonably simple recipes, however, we made a few changes due to a poor shopper, me. We used 18% cream instead of heavy cream, and dried basil instead of fresh basil leaves for the chicken. The asparagus did not have lemon zest because someone forgot to buy lemons and we did not have parsley either. Still, both turned out fine, and after the second bottle of wine, we didn’t care very much.

Chicken Thighs in Sun Dried Tomato Sauce

These chicken thighs are quick and easy dinner. Eat them as is, or serve over pasta or rice.

Course Main Course

Cuisine American

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes

Total Time 30 minutes

Servings 4

Calories 566kcal

Ingredients

1 1/2 lb. chicken thighs skinless and boneless

Salt and black pepper

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/2 cup white wine

1 cup chicken broth/stock sodium free

1 cup cup heavy cream

2 tsp Dijon mustard

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1 teaspoon Italian seasoning

1 teaspoon onion powder

2 teaspoons garlic powder

1/2 cup sun dried tomatoes chopped

1/2 cup parmesan grated

1 cup basil leaves

Instructions

1. Pat the chicken thighs dry with paper towels.

2. Preheat a large skillet on medium high heat. Add olive oil and then add the chicken and cook until golden brown on both sides.About 6-8 minutes total. Remove onto a plate.

3. Chop your sun-dried tomatoes and add them to the pan. Cook for about 2 minutes

4. Add white wine and simmer for 2 minutes to let the alcohol evaporate.

5. Now add chicken stock heavy cream, Dijon mustard, salt, Italian Seasoning, onion and garlic powders. Bring the mixture to a low simmering point and then add Parmesan cheese. Use a whisk or a wooden spoon and mix it in until you have a smooth mixture.

6. Add basil leaves and cook until wilted.

7. Return chicken to skillet and allow it to warm up for an additional 5 minutes.

8. SERVE chicken with sauce on top.

Roasted Asparagus with Lemon Vinaigrette

PREP TIME 10 mins

COOK TIME 12 mins

TOTAL TIME 22 mins

SERVINGS 4 servings

CALORIES 91 kcal

INGREDIENTS

1 pound (450 g) asparagus

2 tablespoons (30 g) very finely chopped shallot

1 tablespoon (15 ml) red wine vinegar

Freshly grated zest from one lemon

1 tablespoon (25 ml) fresh lemon juice

½ – ¾ teaspoon fine sea salt

2 tablespoons (30 ml) extra-virgin olive oil

Freshly ground black pepper

1 green onion root end and one inch green top trimmed

2 tablespoons finely chopped

Italian parsley

Flaky sea salt optional

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 450 (225C) degrees.

2. Trim off the tough ends from the asparagus and place on a small rimmed baking sheet.

3. Whisk together shallot, vinegar, 1 teaspoon lemon zest, lemon juice and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a small bowl. Let it sit for 10 minutes, then whisk in the olive oil until the dressing is emulsified. Taste and season with additional salt, if needed.

4. Pour 2 tablespoon of the vinaigrette over the asparagus and season to taste with black pepper. Sprinkle with 1 tablespoon water.

5. Slice the green onion into thin rings. Combine the green onion, parsley and remaining lemon zest in a small bowl.

6. Place the baking sheet in the oven and roast10 – 12 minutes, until the asparagus is beginning to brown at the tips.

7. Transfer asparagus to a serving plate. Drizzle with the remaining vinaigrette and sprinkle with the parsley mixture. Finish the dish with a pinch of flaky sea salt, if you like.

We served with a bed of white Basmati rice and paired with Chilean wine, one of our favourites, Coyam. It is a blend of a variety of organic grapes. A very good wine, in the $20.00 range and is great with food and and as a glass when the doctor orders it.

Number 9 on my personal bucket list is becoming a better cook. In our travels, we have run into so many different cuisines that we wish we could import into our kitchen. As we get closer to our retirement, I have begun exploring various authors and recipes and have started learning the nuances to better, healthier (sometimes) food. As we both love food and wine, this endeavour is a natural for us. As we go, we will be sharing recipes that we found to be especially good, giving credit to the contributor, as well as commenting on the wine we chose to pair with the dish.

The early reviews from the household foodie have been positive and for that, I am motivated to continue.

The dish itself is very tasty and fairly easy to prepare. As a note, cooking with chicken thighs changes everything you know about chicken. We did not add the heavy cream.

We created the following dish and it is now noted as a favourite. We paired with a 2017 King Estate Pinot Noir, from the Williamette Valley of Oregon. It paired well with the dish, a Pinot or Chardonnay would be our recommendation for this pairing. The wine was fairly light and smooth, quite dry and a bit acidic. The main notes we tasted were cherry and red berries with some oak as well. Overall, we gave it 3.9 rating on a 5 scale. Not quite a 4, but still very good.

Our first experiment, as found at;

Familystyle Food Home | Familystyle Foodhttps://familystylefood.com/

We have found this website to be very helpful and stacked with multiple off the grid style recipes. We highly recommend it.

Chicken in White White Sauce (Vino Bianco)

INGREDIENTS

INSTRUCTIONS
2 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs (or 6 bone-in)
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black peppercorns
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 cup finely chopped onion
2 tablespoons finely chopped or grated garlic
1 cup sun-dried tomatoes (not oil-packed) coarsely chopped
1 cup dry white wine (such as pinot grigio)
1/2 cup chicken stock or water
3 fresh thyme sprig plus 2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves for serving
1 pound dried fettuccine or tagliatelle pasta
2-3 tablespoons heavy cream optional
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Season the chicken on all sides with 2 teaspoons of the salt and black pepper to taste. Sprinkle the flour over the chicken and turn it to coat.

Heat the oil over medium-high heat in a 3 or 4-quart deep skillet or saute pan until it begins to shimmer. Add the chicken in 2 batches and sear until golden on both sides, about 5 minutes per side. Remove to a platter.

Add the onion and garlic to the pan and cook until softened and fragrant, about 3 minutes.
Pour in the wine and let it bubble 1 minute. Add the stock or water and 1/4 teaspoon salt.
Return the chicken to the pan and add the tomatoes. Put the herb sprigs on top of the chicken.

Cover the pan and turn the heat down to a very low simmer. Cook 30-35 minutes for boneless chicken and 60-75 minutes for bone-in pieces. The chicken meat should be tender and falling off the bone.

Cook the pasta in a large pot of salted water until al dente. Drain and transfer to a large serving bowl.

Pull the thyme sprigs out of the pan and discard. Using two forks, break the chicken in the pan into large chunks. If you cooked bone-in thighs, discard the bones and stir the meat to combine with the pan sauce. If you’re using cream, stir it in.

Pour the chicken and the pan sauce over the pasta. Sprinkle with the cheese and additional thyme leaves and toss everything together. Enjoy!

**Chicken in White White Sauce (Vino Bianco)**

The Wine.

Tag: Recipes

Chicken Thighs in Sun Dried Tomato Sauce