Rishia Zimmern’s Chicken With Shallots

This is a great recipe but what makes it even better is to finish it off in the oven which makes the skin crispy instead of mushy.

Regarding the shallots....is "a medium shallot" the 2 halves, or just one half that is found in a normal shallot? This makes a huge difference! I wish the recipe indicated the shallot amount in terms of ounces or cups. My grocery sells them 'whole' which is 2 halves, and some that have split in half already.

I call this the best chicken dish I ever made!!! I did not use so much wine, however, because it seemed like that would make it too sour for our taste. Instead I used a half cup of vermouth and the rest chicken broth. I also used skinless, boneless chicken thighs that I salted, floured and browned. Worked like a dream and it was truly "to die for!" I emailed all my sisters and my mother to alert them to this most incredible recipe!

My favorite (so far) recipe from this site. Can't beat chicken, tarragon and mustard, plus shallots and tomatoes! So few ingredients, such a wonderful taste. Leftovers are great, too.

I've made it exactly as written, and I've sometimes added garlic b/c I like it. I've also removed the top skin from the thighs (they still crisp up nicely) and put the pan in the oven (325-350) instead of braising on the stove top. Doesn't matter how I make it, it comes out wonderfully.

No-Splatter Oven Method: Preheat oven to 400F. Saute shallots in butter in oven-proof pan over medium heat until browned. Nestle 8 washed-and-dried bone-in chicken thighs over shallots, skin side up (no flour needed). Whisk mustard with 1/2 cup dry vermouth, whisk in 2-3 sprigs tarragon, chopped, with stems. Pour mixture over thighs, tilting pan to distribute sauce. Bake 30 mins, remove to baste, add whole cherry tomatoes. Bake 20 min or so until chicken is browned and tomatoes are wrinkled.

I used skinned thighs. I don't like tarragon so I used a sprig of thyme and a bay leaf. I added some cognac with the wine, couple of tablespoons probably, and an additional tablespoon of whole grain mustard. Loved the shallots so I upped them. And lastly, added 3 coarsely chopped garlic cloves (large) to Step 4.

Have made this many times and wanted to mix it up a bit. I finished with 1/2 lemon's zest and a pinch of red pepper flakes. Little layer of heat was great and lemon brightness was a welcome addition.

I have made this dozens of times and it always is a hit. It gets even better with a couple of days in the fridge.

To begin, I shake the chicken thighs in a zip-loc bag with rice flour, salt, pepper, chipotle power, turmeric, and whatever other spices I am craving at the moment.

I also add a little extra tarragon.

Add mushrooms before shallots, set aside, then do the shallots. Add back in with thighs.
Add frozen peas with the tomatoes.

As was the case for others, this was the first recipe I made from this site, and it is still my very favorite. It's hard to believe that so simple a preparation can taste this good. I use several varieties of cherry and grape tomatoes from the garden in the summer, grape tomatoes from the store (most flavor) in the winter, and I agree that adding the tomatoes 15 minutes or so before the end, so that they burst, is a good move.

This was delicious!

For do-ahead: I took it through step 3, left out for a couple of hours with heat turned off (it's already cooked by then) and then did the final step once my guests arrived. Was nice that all I had to do for dinner was turn the stove back on!

P. S.
A 28-ounce can of whole Roma tomatoes, instead of cherry tomatoes.
AJB

I love making this dish for company-- easy to get started before anyone shows up, and the whole apartment smells amazing!

I slice the bigger shallots in half, which helps them caramelize quicker and melt into the sauce a bit more. I also put another small pat of butter in with the shallots, as the chicken didn't render much fat.

I think current recommendations advise against rinsing meat (or fish) before cooking it.

The tarragon can be a bit strong if you're not prepared for it. So add it slowly to taste. Additionally be careful about the wine and tomatoes you use. Cherry tomatoes can be very acidic as can white wines, a bad combination can make for an excessively acidic dish.