Spring Chicken with Buttered Peas and Herbed Pan Sauce
This recipe works well for both breasts and thighs. If you use thighs, we recommend boneless thighs because they will not take as long to cook as bone-in. Rice or some buttery baby potatoes from the farmers market pair nicely with this chicken. A salad also makes a lighter and nice accompaniment to the meal. We love a good Caesar salad made with hearty lettuces or bitter greens.
Ingredients
- 1 cup peas
- 1 cup snow or snap peas
- Neutral oil, such as canola, grape seed, or vegetable
- 4 skin-on chicken breasts or 6 boneless thighs
- ¼ cup white wine
- ½ cup chicken broth
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
- ¼ cup chopped chives
- ½ cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
- Freshly cracked pepper
- Handful of pea shoots to garnish
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- ½ lemon
Instructions
- Blanch peas: Bring salted water to a boil, drop your vegetables in for 45 seconds, drain water, and chill in an ice bath.
- Preheat oven to 400°.
- Heat an ovenproof pan, such as carbon steel or cast iron, on the stovetop over very high heat and add neutral oil (canola, grapeseed, vegetable) to cover bottom.
- Season chicken liberally with salt and add it to the pan, skin-side down. Wait 20 seconds, and then put in the oven (while chicken is cooking, prepare your rice or baby potatoes).
- Cook chicken for 15 to 20 minutes, or until a meat thermometer inserted in the chicken reads 160°. Remove pan from oven, flip the chicken, and let it rest in the pan for 5 minutes uncovered so that it does not overcook. Remove chicken from pan.
- Discard most of the drippings, leaving about 2 tablespoons of fat. Add the white wine to the pan and simmer over medium heat for 1 minute. Add chicken stock and soy and simmer until liquid is reduced by half, and then stir butter in rapidly. When butter is fully emulsified, add in the vegetables and the herbs, and finish with freshly cracked pepper.
- Prepare plates with rice or baby potatoes. Top with vegetables and sliced chicken, garnish with pea shoots, and finish with a drizzle of olive oil and a squeeze of lemon juice.
Notes
PHOTOGRAPH BY MARK LOADER