As traditional as it can be, there is both a science and an art to the perfect roasted chicken. I’m not one to roast an entire chicken — instead, I opt for my favorite cut: bone-in thighs with the skin still on. There’s something so simple about perfectly crisped chicken skin. It reminds me of those comforting meals I enjoyed with my grandmother as a kid. It’s essentially comfort food… which is such a personal thing, right? Today I teamed up with Foster Farms to share my favorite comfort food dish, roasted chicken thighs, and why locally raised, organic, high-quality ingredients are key.
For those of you not in the know, Foster Farms is quite simply The Best when it comes to guaranteeing the best possible poultry for your households and meals. They never use antibiotics and feed their chickens 100% vegetarian meals. The result is chicken that is the perfect foundation for any meal… but especially the pure indulgence of my favorite comfort food!
Roasted White Wine Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 pounds Foster Farms Simply Raised chicken thighs with skin and bones
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 2-3 tablespoons coconut oil
- 2 large leeks washed and sliced on the diagonal as thinly as possible
- 2 medium shallots minced
- 1 cup white wine
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- Tarragon chopped
- Salt
- Pepper
Instructions
- Remove chicken from packaging and set on a plate. Coat chicken thighs in about 1 tablespoon of salt and leave in fridge for 2-6 hours (whatever you can squeeze in — I recommend prepping the chicken in the morning before going to work).
- When you’re ready to cook, preheat oven to 475° F and place chicken on a wire rack in a glass baking dish (or a broiler pan or even in a pinch aluminum foil with holes for drainage). The goal is to keep the chicken away from the oils draining out, so the skin gets delightfully crispy. Cook chicken in oven for 35-45 minutes until desired brownness is achieved.
- While chicken is baking, heat stainless steel pan on medium to medium high heat. Once heated (1-2 minutes) add coconut oil, melt down, add shallots, allow to cook for 2-3 minutes. Shallots should appear almost translucent and soft. Once this is achieved, add leeks and cook for about 10-12 minutes or until the mixture begins to browning. The leeks may stick to the bottom of the pan, which is fine — just stir them loose while still allowing a brown layer to form underneath on the pan’s surface. The mixture should be half the size as it started out.
- Reduce heat to medium low and add the white wine. Stir into leek and shallot mixture, removing the browned bits. Reduce heat to low, allow to simmer for a couple minutes, then add cream and stir into the mixture. Turn off heat and cover.
- Once chicken is finished cooking, nestle the roasted chicken thighs into the sauce. For extra crispness, return the entire pan to the oven and broil for 1-3 minutes. Remove and sprinkle with finely chopped tarragon.
Nutrition
I served up this recipe one rainy evening last week because I was feeling a bit (ahem) emotional and just needed something to soothe my soul and make me feel a little bit better. While I waited for the chicken to cook, I whipped up this salad (recipe to come!) and poured a generous glass of wine. The ritual of cooking paired with sitting around the table with my boyfriend to chat about our days was exactly what I needed to get out of my funk.
So what do you think? We love this cozy, comforting white wine chicken, and it is sooo good as leftovers (if you have any!) Let us know your thoughts!
Photography and styling by Jojotastic, assisted by Gwen McKenzie. Recipe developed by Claire McAleese for Jojotastic.
This post is sponsored by Foster Farms. All opinions are my own and always will be! Thanks for supporting content that keeps Jojotastic going.
