If you’re ever stuck for ideas of what to make out of your chicken thighs in your fridge, then this is your chance to really impress your friends and family with this garlic rosemary chicken thighs recipe.
When it comes to chicken, people are surprisingly particular. Although most meat-eaters love all parts of the chicken, most people take a side: you’re either a white meat or dark meat person. The main thing that adds succulent flavor to food is fat. That’s what makes chicken thighs so delicious.
Chicken thighs are the fattest part of the chicken, and it doesn’t matter if you buy bone-in or boneless, skin-on or skinless. With chicken thighs, you’re going to get tons of flavor. Also, it’s easier to cook chicken thighs because white meat can become dry very quickly when you overcook it.
The succulence of the chicken blended with the rich aromas of the sauce will make everyone totally amazed at your culinary skills. Do you want to know the best part?
It’s so simple to make and doesn’t require crazy ingredients that you can’t find anywhere. Keep on reading to discover this delectable recipe.
Just grab a rosemary sprig, some lemon, and chicken thigh and you’re in business.
If you’re not a fan of chicken thighs and would rather use chicken breast then be our guest. However, we love and prefer using the thighs as they naturally have a more intense flavor to them and that’s even before your start marinating and cooking.
If you are trying to reduce your fat intake, then opting for chicken breast would be a better choice.
What to serve on the side of my garlic rosemary chicken thighs?
We love serving these chicken thighs alongside some creamy mashed potato, the sauce makes everything come together so well. However, you can also service with roasted or boiled potatoes and some steamed or roasted vegetables.
If we have any leftover chicken thighs the next day, we reheat them and pair them with leafy salad for our lunch, but we try to save the leftover sauce for another time.
What wine should I use?
We normally use chardonnay or sauvignon blanc as that’s what we normally have sitting around the house. However, you can use any dry white wine that you like.
The wine is not the main attraction in this recipe, so you don’t need to go out and buy the most expensive white wine in the store as it won’t make too much difference to the flavor.
Make sure you have a large enough skillet or pan to cook all your chicken thighs and your sauce.
Make sure you have a large enough skillet or pan to cook all your chicken thighs and your sauce.
Garlic Rosemary Chicken Thighs Recipe
A simple yet mouth-watering chicken dish that the whole family (and more) can enjoy. The juicy chicken thighs wrapped up in the garlic rosemary sauce will have everyone around your table reaching for seconds.
5 or 6pieceschicken thighs (boneless or with bone will both work)
Salt and pepper
Italian seasoning
Mushrooms:
2tbspbutter
8ozsliced mushrooms
3clovesminced garlic
Sauce:
1tbspbutter
1tbspplain flour
1/2cuplow or sodium-free chicken broth
1/4cupdry white wine
2tbspminced fresh rosemary leaves
Rosemary sprigs from the leaves
1/2tspsalt
1/2tspblack pepper
Instructions
Preparation:
Using a sharp knife, dice your mushrooms on your chopping board and then put them in a bowl on the side. Mince your 3 garlic cloves using a garlic press or the flat surface of your knife and place them into the bowl as well.
Place your chicken thighs into a large bowl, pour in 2 tablespoons of olive oil, add salt and pepper and sprinkle generously with Italian seasoning. If you have a lid for your bowl, you can secure it on and shake your chicken thighs about so they get evenly covered with the seasonings. If not, you could just use your hands to massage it into the meat. If you want your chicken to have that little bit of extra flavor, you could do this step the night before you cook then keep it in the fridge until you’re ready to cook, this will help the chicken marinate in the flavors.
Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.
Cooking:
Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil into a skillet that is on medium-high heat on the stove. Once the skillet is hot and the oil has thinned, place in your chicken thighs one by one. Cook on one side for 4-5 minutes and then flip them over onto the other side to cook for a further 4-5 minutes. Both sides of the chicken thighs should be golden brown but not cooked through thoroughly.
Remove the chicken thighs from the pan and place them on a plate to the side as you won’t need them again until the end steps.
Add 2 tablespoons of butter to the skillet along with the diced mushrooms and saute for 3-4 minutes until they have softened. Then add the garlic into the skillet and cook for another 1-2 minutes. You don’t want to add the garlic straight away as it’ll burn the garlic and completely ruin the flavor.
Now we’ll be moving on to making the sauce. Turn the heat down to medium and add another tablespoon of butter. Once it’s melted down, push your mushrooms to the side and then add one tablespoon of plain flour to the melted butter and whisk until it gets thicker.
Now add your ¼ cup of dry white wine slowly to the pan. Do not add it all in one go. Turn the heat up to high for around 3 minutes, this will reduce the wine down. Add your ½ cup of low sodium chicken broth and the minced fresh rosemary and leave it to cook for 5 minutes. Stir the mushrooms and the sauce together. You can turn the heat down if you can see it starting to burn. Season with salt and pepper to your own taste.
Now it’s time to add your chicken thighs back into the skillet and add your springs of rosemary on top. Use a spoon to cover the chicken in the sauce and then place the skillet in the oven for 35 minutes at 400 degrees. You can rotate the chicken round in the skillet halfway through. If you are using boneless chicken thighs, you’ll want to check on them at 25 minutes as they may be ready to come out of the oven then.
Take out the oven and serve accordingly. You’ll want to remove the sprigs of rosemary before serving as they are not great for eating whole. You can pour the sauce leftover in the skillet on top of your servings for extra flavor.
Cassie brings decades of experience to the Kitchen Community. She is a noted chef and avid gardener. Her new book "Healthy Eating Through the Garden" will be released shortly. When not writing or speaking about food and gardens Cassie can be found puttering around farmer's markets and greenhouses looking for the next great idea.
