Next Sunday, July 14, is Bastille Day, a holiday celebrated in France with enthusiasm, delicious food, and fireworks. I mark the holiday by cooking a recipe thought up by one of my favorite French chefs. This year, a delectable chicken dish from Jacques Pepin will be my delicacy.
Pepin, chef, PBS TV host and cookbook author, has developed a slick technique for making sure bone-in chicken thighs cook thoroughly, creating to-the-bone doneness in a short amount of time. Before the bird is cooked, he trims away excess fat from the sides of the thighs (I do this with clean scissors) and then cuts about 1/2-inch deep on either side of the thigh bone from the no-skin side. Easy.
Yield: 4 servings 4 large chicken thighs, about 1 3/4 pounds total, skin on, bone in Salt and freshly ground black pepper 1 cup diced onion 1 1/2 tablespoons coarsely chopped garlic 3 cups washed and diced white mushrooms or cremini mushrooms 1/3 cup dry white wine 1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives or green portion of green onion Optional: Cooked farro, see cook’s notes Cook’s notes: If you like, serve it over cooked farro. 1. Arrange chicken thighs skin side down on a cutting board.
Using a sharp paring knife, trim off any excess skin at the edges (I use scissors) and then cut (from the no-skin side) about 1/2-inch deep into the flesh on either side of the thigh bone. This will help the meat cook more quickly. Sprinkle the thighs with 1/2 teaspoon each of salt and pepper and arrange them skin side down .
