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chicken leg quarters braised in white wine
Sometimes you need a quick meal that goes together with a minimum of fuss or bother, but that tastes good. Some nights we just don’t want to make something elaborate, especially if it’s hot and humid and you don’t want to hang around the stove. This classic recipe makes use of a very inexpensive cut of chicken and serves up quick in a classic pan sauce.
Iingredients:
4 chicken leg quarters (about 2-3 pounds)
1 Tbsp oil
kosher salt
ground black pepper
1 medium onion, chopped
1 cup dry white wine
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1 lemon, cut into 8 slices
1 Tbsp cold butter, cut into pieces
2 Tbsp flat-leaf parsley, chopped (or 1 Tbsp dried parsley)
1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
Directions:
In a 12-inch skillet with a tight-fitting lid, heat the oil over medium heat. When the oil is shimmering, place the quarters in the pan, skin side down and brown for 3-5 minutes. Don’t crowd the pan. If necessary, cook them in two batches.
Move the chicken to a cutting board and peel off the skin. Season with salt and pepper. Return the quarters to the pan, bone side up. Add onion, wine, and thyme. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer. Cover and cook 30 minutes.
Turn the chicken over, place two lemon slices on each quarter. Cover and continue to simmer until it reaches an internal temperature in thickest part of the thigh of 160 degrees, about 15 minutes. Leaving onion and liquid in the skillet, transfer the chicken and lemon slices to a platter and cover tightly with foil to keep warm.
Bring liquid in skillet to a boil; cook until reduced to 1/2 cup, about 5 minutes. Reove skillet from heat and add butter, parsley, and lemon juice. Stir until butter has melted and sauce is smooth. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve the chicken with sauce. Rice makes a good accompaniment.
Serves 4.
Variation: You could substitute 8 bone-in chicken thighs for the 4 leg quarters. Chicken breasts aren’t really recommended because they might overcook, and while the sauce could mask it somewhat it probably won’t be as good as the other cuts. You almost can’t overcook the dark meat of chicken.
COMMENTS
Speaking of inexpensive cuts of chicken, for those of you in the Boston area, the famous Hilltop Steakhouse Butcher shop in Saugus, MA on Rt. 1 has(d) chicken leg quarters for 0.49/lb, chicken wings at about .89/lb, breasts at 1.49/lb along with many other great meat deals lately. It’s my new shopping secret. PS - bring a coat, it’s cold in there 
Posted by
on 08/14/06 at 01:21 PMExcuse me? It’s not my recipe, as I noted in the entry above. It’s a classic recipe, meaning that it’s a standard.
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