Are you fam
iliar with Andrew Zimmern? He’s hard to miss. For the past 15 seasons, starting in 2005, “Bizaare Foods with Andrew Zimmern” has aired on The Travel Channel. In over 100 episodes, Zimmern has been to 34 countries and 14 states in search of, what else, Bizaare Foods. He’s eaten the most extraordinary things, most of them unheard of and the rest
fairly obvious targets: Coral Worms in Samoa, Horse Rib and Rectum Sausage in Kazakhstan, Tarantulas in Cambodia. He’s even flirted with his own demise in his show entitled “Dining with Death”. So when a recipe from his wife, Rishia got the thumbs up from the New York Times, I had to ask, why on earth does he ever leave home in Edina, Minnesota.
Rishia, née Haas, adapted her Chicken with Shallots recipe from Martha Stewart, to whom she gives full credit. And why not? This is simply a one pot wonder that’s ideal for weeknights, a chicken dish with a deep down rich flavor and a sauce you cannot get enough of. It’s easy to make and don’t be put off by the cooking time: It takes 1 ½ hours from stove top to table but much of that time is given over to effortless cooking time on
the stove. I confess to having changed the recipe in a couple places. One, I couldn’t find fresh Taragon and substituted Italian Parsley as a garnish. Two, one of the comments in the Times made mention of putting the dish in the oven where it finishes cooking to get its skin slightly more crispy than it would be on the stovetop. I also added the cherry tomatoes to the skillet before putting the dish in the oven, so they too would take on a little warmth. The only thing this dish cries out for is a loaf of crusty bread to soak up every scintilla of the mustardy sauce. I halved this recipe but I am reprinting it as originally written for 4 to 6 people. Here is the recipe.
Rishia Zimmern's Chicken with Shallots
A one pot wonder that's full of flavor with a sauce you'll want to soak up every drop of.
Ingredients
- 8 bone-in chicken thighs
- 2 tablespoons flour
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 12 to 15 whole medium shallots, peeled
- 2 cups white wine
- 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- 2 sprigs tarragon
- 2 cups cherry tomatoes, left whole.
Directions
- Step 1 Pre heat Oven to 375 degrees F.
- Step 2 Rinse chicken thighs in water, and pat them very dry with paper towels. Sprinkle over them the flour, salt and pepper.
- Step 3 Melt the butter in a large, ovenproof, heavy-bottomed pot or skillet set over medium-high heat. When the butter foams, cook the chicken, in batches if necessary, until well browned and crisp on all sides. Set aside.
- Step 4 Add the whole shallots to the pot and sauté them in the butter and chicken fat until they begin to soften and caramelize, approximately 10 to 12 minutes. Add the wine to de-glaze the pot. Stir with a large spoon, then add the mustard and tarragon, then the chicken thighs. Cover the pot, turn the heat to low and simmer for 30 minutes.
- Step 5 Remove the lid, and add the cherry tomatoes to the pot, distributing them evenly.
- Step 6 Put the skillet in the oven and bake for 15 to 20 minutes. Adjust the salt and pepper and serve immediately.
One of my favorite recipes. For anyone not a fan of tarragon thyme works very well!
Thanks so much for the suggestion Susanne. Great suggestion for a great recipe.
Hi Monte—I loved this recipe, thank you! I watch Andrew Zimmern’s “Bizarre Foods” quite a lot, and he never ceases to amaze me in terms of what he will consume! I have seen him spit out a couple of things. By the way, it’s bizarre, not bizaare. Sorry, I was an English teacher.
Dear Marie, Thank you so much for writing. If there is one word that I get wrong consistently it’s bizarre…and between Harper’s Bazaar and Bizarre it’s a challenge. So glad you like the recipe. All best, Monte