CHICKEN THIGHS ROASTED WITH FRESH FIGS
SKIN-ON VS SKIN-OFF CHICKEN
A skin-on piece of chicken has more calories than a skinless one. A skin-on chicken has about 30-50 more calories per serving, and that is the main drawback with skin-on. It’s simply more fattening and the fat is saturated. . However, cooking chicken with its skin on will help to retain all those delicious, natural juices. Once it's cooked, remove the skin and the result is a leaner, juicier breast of tender, tasty chicken.
Ingredients
- 1 ½ 5 pounds or 750g 4 bone-in, chicken thighs, with or without skin, as desired
- 3 Tbsp extra virgin Greek olive oil
- Sea salt to taste
- Freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 1 large red onion grated
- 2 garlic cloves finely chopped
- 2 Tbsp red wine vinegar
- 1/4 cup of water
- ½ cup dry red wine
- 1 heaping tablespoon fig jam
- 1 Tbsp chopped fresh oregano leaves
- 4 fresh plump firm, ripe figs, stems trimmed, halved, or quartered if large
- 1 Tbsp chopped parsley chopped for serving
Instructions
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Preheat the oven to 400°F / 200°C.
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Season the chicken with sea salt and pepper.
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Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium heat and sear the chicken pieces in batches of two, turning with kitchen tongs, to brown on both sides. Set aside.
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Drain out all but 1 tablespoon of fat from the frying pan and add the onion and its juices from the grating. Cook it over medium heat, stirring so as not to burn. When the onion is translucent, stir in the garlic.
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Whisk together the vinegar, water, red wine, and jam in a small bowl and add to the onion-garlic mixture. Add the oregano. Bring to a boil and turn off the heat.
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Place the seared chicken thighs in an oiled ovenproof baking dish. Nestle the figs around the chicken and pour the onion mixture over the pan, tilting it so that the liquid is evenly distributed. Cover and bake for about 35 minutes, or until the chicken is tender and no longer pink. Remove, sprinkle with parsley and serve.
Love chicken? Check out my online class “Wing It! – Great Mediterranean Chicken!“
