Originally I thought the whole Quarantine/Covid-19 would have allowed me extra time to focus on cooking and sharing these recipes with you, but obviously that was not the case. Maybe forcing me to stay home and cook caused the opposite reaction for me? I just wanted to go out and have someone else do the dishes! Oh well. Now that the super hot temps are starting to back off I’m finding some additional inspiration. This recipe was so easy and I had quite a few people asking me for it – so I’ll do my best.
I started with a package of chicken thighs, this time I used bone in skin on – that is what I had on hand. I put them in a zip lock bag with the following marinade. Olive oil, balsamic vinegar, honey, garlic powder, salt and pepper and lemon juice. I’ll do my best to give you amounts, but I really just started mixing until I liked how it tasted. I marinated in the fridge for most of the day. Sorry – I didn’t take as many pictures for you this time!
I chose to use a cast iron skillet for this one – any oven/stove safe dish should work. I placed my chicken thighs in the cast iron and put in the oven at 400 degrees. I set the timer for an hour. When checking on them around 30 minutes I found the tops were nicely browned so I decided to cover with foil and cooked only for another 15. I didn’t even check the temperature like normal, but remember the temperature for chicken is 165 degrees. Also – they will keep cooking after (especially in the cast iron) so if you are close but not quite there that is ok!
Once removed them from the oven, I moved them to a platter and placed my cast iron skillet on the stove over medium heat. I scrapped the bits off the bottom of the pan and de-glazed with a dry red wine. (you could also use white wine or chicken broth – I just had an open bottle of cooking wine already). Let this simmer for about 10 minutes until you have a thicker sauce consistency.
Lastly, I poured the sauce over the chicken in the serving platter before serving and I sprinkled with some dried thyme.
We really enjoyed this and it was very easy to put together. This time we decided to have roasted carrots and sauteed spinach with dinner. Hope you enjoy as well!
Roasted Honey Balsamic Chicken
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 5 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 4 tbsp honey
- 2 tbsp garlic powder
- 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice (or a little more)
- salt and pepper to taste
- 6 pieces chicken thighs
- 2 cup dry red wine (or white wine or chicken broth)
- 1 tbsp dried thyme
Instructions
- Mix together the first 6 ingredients with a wisk. Place your chicken thighs in a zip lock or other container and pour the marinade on top. Place in the refrigerator for at least an hour and up to 24 hours. *I like to shake the bag several times through the day.
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- Place your chicken in a cast iron skillet (or oven/stove safe pan). Be sure to get as much of the marinade as you can in the pan as well. Place in oven and set time for approx 30 minutes.
- Check on your chicken at 30 minutes or so and if they are a beautiful brown, cover with foil. Cook another 15-30 minutes or until the internal temperature is 165 or close.
- Remove from oven. Place the chicken in a serving platter and your skillet on the stove with the remaining marinade.
- Turn the stove to medium/high heat. Scrape the bits off the bottom of the pan and deglaze with a dry red wine. I needed approx 2 cups to get the sauce amount and consistency needed, but start with about 1 cup. Simmer for about 10 minutes until you have a thicker sauce consistency.
- Pour your sauce on top of the chicken in the serving platter, coating each thigh. Sprinkle with dried thyme. Enjoy!
“George’s” Chicken Soup
We are having just a couple of cooler days in the desert before we shoot up toward the 90s next week. The cooler days combined with being stuck in the house made soup sound like just the thing for dinner. One of our favorite soups both David and I enjoy is from George’s at the Cove in La Jolla, CA. If you have never been – it’s worth it! The views are incredible and if the seals and sea lions are plentiful, they are just high and far enough away that the smell won’t ruin your appetite!
This recipe is a pretty close play on their soup, which you can find their recipe online as well! We just made a few small changes. To start, we are using leftover pulled chicken. I am loving having all of the smoked meat leftover as there are so many different meals you can create! You can find my beer can chicken recipe on this site as well – make 2 or 3 at a time, pull the meat apart and freeze what you don’t eat for later!
Next, heat some oil in a pan and add your diced veggies, carrots, celery, onion and broccoli (stems and florets). I used approx 2 cups of each. I made a big batch as we like this leftover too! Cook for about 5 minutes until veggies are starting to soften. Add about 2 tablespoons each of basil, thyme and oregano (Mediterranean or Greek/not Mexican). Stir and cook together for a few more minutes. Heat your pan up slightly and add some white wine to de-glaze the pan, about 1 cup or a little more.
Next, add in chicken broth or stock – I used about 6 cups in this batch. Stir together well and simmer reducing the liquid by about 1/3. Add in your chicken. Cook for another 5 minutes and then add in 2 cans of black beans, drained, 3 tablespoons of worcestershire and hot sauce (your favorite brand). Simmer until you are ready to eat.
Before you serve, add in about 2 cups of coconut cream and mix together well. That is just about it! I like to add a dollop or two of Greek yogurt on top to add a little extra creaminess and cool the temperature down slightly. Enjoy!
“George’s” Chicken Soup
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 2 cups diced carrots
- 2 cups diced onion
- 2 cups diced broccoli stems included
- 2 cups diced celery
- 2 tbsp basil
- 2 tbsp thyme
- 2 tbsp oregano Greek or Mediterranean
- 1 cup dry white wine
- 6 cups chicken broth or stock
- 3-4 cups shredded chicken, or cubed preferrably smoked
- 2 cans black beans drained
- 3 tbsp worcestershire
- 3 tbsp hot sauce
- 2 cups coconut cream
- greek yogurt, non-fat/plain optional
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in pan and add diced veggies. Cook for about 5 minutes.
- Add about 2 tablespoons each of basil, thyme and oregano. Stir and cook together a few more minutes. Turn heat up slightly and add white wine to de-glaze the pan.
- Add in chicken broth, stir together well and simmer until liquid has reduced by about 1/3.
- Add in chicken. Cook for another 5 minutes and then add in beans, worcestershire and hot sauce.
- Simmer on low until ready to serve.
- Add in coconut cream and stir together, cooking for a minute or so.
- Enjoy! Add a dollop or two of yogurt on top if you like!