BRINED AND SLOW-ROASTED CHICKEN THIGHS

Posted in Poultry by sallybr

We love chicken thighs, they are part of our dinner rotation, at least once every two weeks. I am partial to slow-roasting and then blasting them skin side up at higher temperature, but today I share one more twist to this method: brining the pieces of chicken first. They end up with a wonderful texture, slightly more tender and juicy. It is an extra step, but you can do it hours in advance and forget about it until it is time to cook your meal.

BRINED AND SLOW-ROASTED CHICKEN THIGHS
(from the Bewitching Kitchen)

6 chicken thighs
1 quart water
1/4 cup Kosher salt

Marinade:
1/4 cup olive oil
1 lemon, juice and zest
black pepper
drizzle of honey
2 tsp mustard

Dissolve the salt in the water, and soak the pieces to completely cover them. Place in the fridge anywhere from 2 to 6 hours.

Remove pieces from the brine, rinse briefly, pat dry. Make the marinade by mixing all ingredients, then add to the brined thighs. Place back in the fridge for a couple of hours or even overnight.

Roasts the chicken at 325F for about 90 minutes, skin side down, covered with foil. You can sprinkle the pieces with a bit of salt if you like, but the brining step is going to make them slightly salty already. Remove the foil, flip the pieces to have the skin up, increase temperature to 425F and roast until the skin is dark brown to your liking, 20 to 25 minutes longer.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: You can take the marinade in many different directions, or even omit it altogether for a very basic method that will still be delicious. I intend to go for a little gochujang kick next time. Leftovers stay great for days, which is – as you know – a bonus with us. I hope you give this method a try if you have never brined chicken pieces before.

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18Apr2026

CHICKEN TIKKA MASALA

Posted in Poultry by sallybr

Made this twice already, delicious recipe that requires very little hands-on attention. A few hours in a low oven and you get tender, perfectly seasoned meat, with the perfect level of spice and subtle heat.

CHICKEN TIKKA MASALA
(inspired by several sources)

2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1-inch pieces
1/2 cup plain, full-fat yogurt
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons grape seed oil
1 large yellow onion, finely chopped
1 piece fresh ginger, grated to give about 1 tablespoon
1 tablespoon garam masala
2 teaspoons hot paprika
2 teaspoons kosher salt
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes (you will not use the full amount)
1/2 cup heavy cream
fresh cilantro leaves

Place the chicken pieces and yogurt in a bowl, toss well to coat the pieces. Cover and allow to sit in the fridge for a few hours (I like to do that early in the morning).

Heat the oven to 300°F. Melt the butter in the oil in a medium Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the onion and sauté until just beginning to brown. Add the ginger and sauté for another minute or two, then add the garam masala, paprika, and salt, stirring to incorporate and toast the spices. Stir in the tomato paste and diced tomatoes. I use about 3/4 of the can, I found that using the full amount is a bit too much, but if you rather not have leftover tomatoes, use the whole can.

Add the marinated chicken (with any yogurt marinade), stirring until everything is well mixed. Cover and bake for 2 and a half hours, covered. Open the pan, stir the pieces around and drizzle the heavy cream all over. Cook uncovered for 20 to 30 more minutes, depending on how much sauce you like, if you prefer a drier texture, cook it longer to evaporate more liquid. Serve with fresh cilantro sprinkled on top.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: The picture of this dish does not make it justice. You’ll have to trust me, it is pretty awesome! If you like garlic, add some with the ginger. I rarely cook something just for me, but this was my lunch several days in a row. You know when you eat something and feel that it could be from a top-notch restaurant? That’s the feeling I had. First time I coupled it with brown rice, cucumbers and mango. Pure Nirvana on a plate!

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26Feb2026

CHICKEN AND WHITE BEAN STEW

Posted in Poultry, Soups by sallybr

One more example of a recipe in which looks do not do it justice… This was so delicious, it goes into our regular rotation, although the weather for this type of meal is coming to an end. Comfort food without being overly heavy. Please give it a try, you won’t be disappointed.

CHICKEN AND WHITE BEAN STEW
(slightly modified from The New York Times)

1 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 shallot, finely chopped
2 sage sprigs
Salt and black pepper
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts
4 cups chicken broth
1 (15-ounce) can white beans, drained
1 bunch spinach leaves, coarsely chopped
fresh lemon juice to taste, for serving

In a large pot or Dutch oven, melt the butter and olive oil medium. When foaming, add the shallot and sage, season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring often, until softened and golden. Remove the sage sprigs.

Add the chicken, broth and white beans. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, then reduce heat to low, cover the pot and simmer until the chicken is cooked through, 15 to 20 minutes, depending on the thickness of the meat.

Transfer the chicken to a bowl and smash some of the beans on the side of the pot. Stir the greens into the soup. Increase heat to medium and simmer, uncovered, while you shred the chicken. Use two forks to shred the chicken. Stir the chicken back in the soup and season to taste with salt and pepper, squirt the lemon juice right before serving.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: I love the way smashing the beans will give this stew a creamy, luscious texture, without any need to add heavy cream. I was pleasantly surprised by how much we enjoyed it, because it is such a simple preparation. You can use kale or other hearty greens instead of spinach, and add more beans, but I lightened it up a bit from the original. Leftovers are superb even after two days in the fridge. When I had the leftovers, I added a bit of harissa to my bowl, and that was a pretty nice touch, consider incorporating it into the recipe if you like some extra spice. Because, yes… some like it hot (wink, wink).

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13Nov2025

CHEESY CHICKEN AND BROCCOLI BAKE

Posted in Poultry by sallybr

This is comfort food, lower-carb style. It will still leave you fully satisfied, and the best part for me, leftovers held quite well and provided me with a couple of lunches down the week.

CHEESY CHICKEN AND BROCCOLI BAKE
(inspired by Hungry Happens)

2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup cottage cheese, full-fat
1/4 cup pesto
1 tbs olive oil
4 small crowns broccoli, cut into small florets
1½ lbs chicken breasts, cubed
salt to taste
1 pint cherry tomatoes
8 oz shredded mozzarella
2 tbs grated parmesan cheese

Heat oven to 375℉.

In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, cottage cheese and pesto. Set aside.

Rinse the broccoli florets, drain, allowing a little of the water to stay over the surface. Season lightly with salt, place in a microwave-safe bowl, cover and steam in the microwave for 2 to 3 minutes. Reserve.

In a large deep skillet, heat 1 tbs olive oil. Season the chicken pieces with salt, and sautee the chicken until golden brown, about 5 minutes.

To the cottage cheese mixture, add the tomatoes, steamed broccoli, mozzarella and chicken and toss to combine all. Transfer to a 9×13 inch baking dish and spread out evenly. Sprinkle the grated parmesan on top. Bake for 35 minutes and then remove from the oven. Allow to sit for 5-10 minutes then dig in…

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: This is my favorite type of meal, it has everything: protein, veggies, a nice cheesy component, and plenty of flavor. As you know, I live for leftovers and they worked great in the microwave straight from the fridge. No rubbery texture in the chicken, the cottage cheese environment make it all work perfectly. This goes into our rotation for sure, I hope you give it a try!

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12Sep2025

CHICKEN THIGHS WITH APPLES AND SAGE

Posted in Poultry by sallybr

A real nice recipe that has Fall written all over it. I was inspired by a blogger I follow but was a bit disappointed when I made it exactly as published. So I tweaked things around and also incorporated a step in which the chicken is cooked under pressure, giving the wonderful melt-in-your-mouth texture I love. I will give you an alternative to skip the pressure cooking.

CHICKEN THIGHS WITH APPLES AND SAGE
(from The Bewitching Kitchen)

for the chicken:
1 Tbsp olive oil
6 boneless skinless chicken thighs
3/4 tsp each salt and black pepper, or to taste
3/4 tsp paprika

for the apples:
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 medium gala apples, cored and sliced thin
2 large stalks celery, sliced 1/4 inch thin
1 shallot, minced
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1 tsp each minced fresh thyme, rosemary and sage (or 1/2 tsp each dried)

for the sauce:
1 cup apple juice
1 Tbsp honey
1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1 1/2 tsp cornstarch dissolved in 1 tablespoon cold water, reserved

In liquid measuring cup whisk together the apple juice, honey, apple cider vinegar, and dijon mustard. If cooking chicken in a pressure cooker, separate that amount in two parts (no need to be exact, eye balling is fine).

Heat a skillet over medium high heat, or if using a pressure cooker, do this step right in the pan. Sprinkle chicken on both sides evenly with paprika, salt and pepper. Drizzle olive oil into skillet or pressure cooker, when very hot add the chicken and brown on both sides. If using a pressure cooker, add half of the cooking liquid, bring to a gentle boil, close the pan and cook under pressure for 12 minutes. Release pressure under running water, reserve the meat. If the liquid does not reach halfway up the pieces of chicken, complete that volume with water.

If cooking the chicken on a skillet, remove the pieces to a platter, add more oil to the pan, and sautee the celery, shallots and pieces of apple, seasoning with cinnamon and nutmeg. If cooking the chicken under pressure, sauté the apples and veggies using a clean skillet the same way described above. When the apples are soft, add the apple juice mixture, season with a little more salt and pepper, if so desired. Return the chicken to the pan. If the chicken was cooked in the pressure cooker, simply warm everything together for a couple of minutes, then add the cornstarch slurry and the fresh sage. Serve immediately. If the chicken was not prepared under pressure, simmer with the pan covered until fully tender, probably 15 minutes. Add the sage and the cornstarch slurry right before serving.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: We really loved this preparation for chicken, in fact I made it twice in the same week per husband’s request! I am totally comfortable with the pressure cooker, so for me it’s really not a big deal to use it, but I realize it can be intimidating. For this reason I included the instructions to cook without it. But there is something about the texture that I absolutely love. It gets tender and never rubbery. I like to start the pressure cooking step right away, because the veggies and apples are ready so quickly. Once the chicken has been cooking for 5 minutes I start sautéing the celery, shallots and apples, and everything comes to the finish line harmoniously. A little white rice, and steamed broccoli, nothing else needed…

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