Chicken Thighs with Carrots and Honey

Since I am in living with my in-laws at the moment, we rotate cooking duties. Today they went up to the cottage to help open up their uncle’s cottage, so I gladly offered to make dinner. I had just perused the new recipes on by favorite food blog, Love and Olive Oil, and noticed that the newest recipe Chicken Thighs with Carrots and Honey sounded delicious. It just so happened that the fridge was stocked with carrots that needed to be eaten sooner than later and there was a pack of chicken thighs in the freezer. Bingo, we were going to eat well tonight.


I made a few substitutions to the recipe. I used boneless, skinless thighs instead of bone-in, skin-on thighs. Fresh cilantro at this time of year is not possible, unless it is flown in from some exotic corner of the world, therefore I omitted it and used dried coriander instead to finish off the dish. I also jazzed up the sauce by adding some buckwheat honey bought from a local farm. It made for a tasty sauce. I am a big fan of mixing sweet and savory spices in a meat recipe and I found that the combination of cinnamon and paprika added for a powerful, but delightful blend of spices. I served the meal over brown rice seasoned with salt, pepper, and a tablespoon of butter. Overall, I was very satisfied with this recipe and I will definitely be making this again!

Roasted Chicken Thighs with Carrots and Honey

Recipe from Epicurious

Makes 4-6 servings

Ingredients:

8 small chicken thighs with skin and bone (2 1/2 to 2 3/4 lb total), trimmed of excess fat

2 teaspoons salt

1 1/4 teaspoons paprika

3/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil

1 large onion, halved lengthwise, then cut lengthwise into1/4-inch-wide strips

1 lb carrots (6 medium), cut diagonally into 1-inch pieces

2 tablespoons minced garlic

1/2 cup water

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

2 tablespoons mild honey

1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh cilantro

Directions:

1. Pat chicken dry. Stir together 1 1/2 teaspoons salt with paprika, cinnamon, and pepper and rub onto chicken.

2. Heat oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then brown chicken in 2 batches, turning over once, about 10 minutes per batch. Transfer chicken as browned to a plate.

3. Discard all but 3 tablespoons fat from skillet, then add onion and carrots. Sprinkle with remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper to taste and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until onion is softened and beginning to brown, 8 to 10 minutes. Add garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, 1 minute.

4. Return chicken, skin sides up, to skillet, nestling it into vegetables. Stir together water, lemon juice, and honey until blended and add to skillet, then cook over moderately low heat, covered, until chicken is cooked through and carrots are tender, 25 to 30 minutes. If necessary, skim fat from sauce, then add salt to taste. Sprinkle with herbs just before serving.