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My husband was away on biz all last week, which meant I asked/coerced my mom to stay with me while he was gone. Although he generally works late hours anyway, there’s comfort in knowing that someone is ultimately coming home, even if I’m already in bed by the time he arrives. It was so nice having her here with me. Not only is she superhero-helpful with the two boys, but she’s excellent company at the end of the day. We caught up on trashy reality TV while endlessly stuffing our faces with snacks. And wine. There was also a lot of wine.
We tend to split dinner duties pretty evenly, but last week I was feeling uncharacteristically inspired to whip something up. I’ve been making an effort to read through the mounting stack of magazines that have accumulated since Baby Ice’s arrival and I came across the inspiration for this recipe in the March issue of Real Simple. Chicken thighs are woefully underused compared to their breasty counterparts but I love their miserly price tag and mix of light and dark meat.
Real Simple‘s original rendition suggested simmering everything on the stovetop, but I think saucy dishes like this do even better in the oven, so I switched up the cooking technique. The result was perfectly crisp skin, juicy meat and a rich, savory sauce that I ended up eating straight up when I ran out of chicken to dredge through it. This also happens to be one of those dishes that is even more delicious the next day, which is always a win when the culinspiration inevitably wanes.
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Tomato-Braised Chicken Thighs with Olives & Capers
Serves 4
Inspired by a recipe from Real Simple
Ingredients:
2 teaspoons olive oil – stock
2 lbs bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs – $4.00
Salt & pepper – stock
1 medium onion, chopped – $0.50
2 large cloves of garlic, minced or run through a press – stock
3 sprigs of fresh thyme – $1.99
28-oz can of whole peeled tomatoes – $2.29
½-cup pitted kalamata or mixed Greek olives – $2.00
1 heaping tablespoon of capers – $1.99
Grand total assuming well-stocked kitchen: $12.77
Cost per serving: $3.19
Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
2. In a Dutch oven or oven-safe stock pot, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Season the chicken thighs with salt and pepper then brown the thighs, skin side down, about 8 minutes. Transfer to a plate and set aside.
3. In the same pot, add the onion, garlic and thyme, stirring well until the onion starts to become tender, about 8 minutes. Add the tomatoes and their juices, the olives and capers. Break up the tomatoes using the edge of a spatula or a wooden spoon. Add the chicken to the pot, skin side up.
4. Transfer the pot to the oven and roast uncovered for 40-45 minutes, until a thermometer inserted into the thickest thigh reads 165 and/or chicken is cooked through.
5. Serve hot garnished with fresh thyme leaves and/or a sprinkle of parmesan.
