Daily Archives: November 14, 2018

CREAMY CHICKEN THIGHS WITH SUN-DRIED TOMATOES

Posted in Poultry by

This recipe, made in the pressure cooker (or Instant-Pot) brings chicken thighs to the table in less than 30 minutes, but they will give that impression of comfort food that your Mom (or Grandma) cooked for you slowly and lovingly for hours. Since the skin suffers some abuse in the pressure cooker environment, I go through the extra step of crisping up the skin under the broiler, just a few minutes of added work, for a big pay-off. Six chicken thighs fit nicely in our pressure cooker and provide dinner with benefits (aka leftovers).

CREAMY CHICKEN THIGHS WITH SUN-DRIED TOMATOES
(inspired by Rasa Malaysia)

6 chicken thighs, bone-in, skin-on
salt and pepper to taste
2 T grape seed oil
2 celery stalks, diced
1/2 onion, diced (optional)
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/3 cup heavy cream
1/3 cup sun-dried tomatoes in oil, minced
Herbes de Provence to taste

Season chicken pieces with salt and pepper. Add oil to the pressure cooker, heat until almost smoking, add the chicken, skin side down, and saute until golden. Flip the pieces and saute on the other side for a couple of minutes. If necessary, do it in two batches so that the chicken will fry, not steam. Reserve the chicken in a platter, covered with aluminum foil.
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Discard the extra fat accumulated, keeping about one tablespoon in the pan. Sautee celery and onion (if using), seasoning lightly with salt and pepper. When they get translucent and fragrant, add the chicken stock, whipping cream, sun-dried tomatoes, herbes de Provence, and a little more salt. Whisk, making sure the stuff glued to the bottom of the pan gets incorporated in the liquid.

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Add the chicken pieces back into the pan, trying to leave the skin poking over the liquid. Close the pressure cooker and bring to maximal pressure. Cook for 25 minutes, release pressure, open the pan.  Remove the chicken and run the pieces under the broiler. If you like, reduce the sauce by simmering on the top of the stove as the chicken broils.  Serve the chicken with the sauce around it.
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ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here
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Comments: If you want to make the sauce smoother, simply transfer to a food processor and get all those bits of sun-dried tomato incorporated in it. I would probably do that if serving it for guests, but for a weeknight dinner, rustic is perfect. I love the texture of chicken thighs cooked under pressure, and by crisping up the skin I get the best of both worlds.
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A little rice, my favorite quick broccoli dish, and dinner is taken care of!
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