New York Times recipe: Skillet hot honey chicken with hearty greens

What will you get from this recipe? Supremely crisp, juicy chicken thighs and hot honey schmaltz, which serves as a warm vinaigrette for sturdy greens and a sauce for your — let’s say it again — supremely crisp, juicy chicken thighs. The flavours may remind you of fried chicken with a side of braised collards: crackly chicken cosied up next to greens that are spicy, tangy, a little sweet and fortified by animal fat. Feel free to adjust the heat level here. Just remember that green chillis pack more heat than red ones.

Ingredients:

900g bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (4-6 thighs)

Salt flakes and pepper

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 small hot chilli, thinly sliced (such as jalapeño, Fresno or serrano), or to taste

1 large bunch or head of hearty greens, such as escarole, mustard greens or kale (about 180g)

2 tbsp honey

1 tbsp apple cider vinegar

Preparation:

Step 1 Pat the chicken thighs dry with a paper towel, then season both sides with salt and pepper. Drizzle the olive oil into a large skillet (frying pan), then add the chicken thighs skin side down.

Step 2 Set over medium heat and cook, without moving them, until the skin is crisp and deep golden brown, about 15 minutes. If you can’t stand leaving the chicken untouched for this long, use your tongs to press the chicken down into the pan, which promotes even browning.

Step 3 Flip the thighs over and swirl the chilli into the rendered chicken fat. Cook until the meat is cooked through, about 10 minutes.

Step 4 Meanwhile, stem and tear the hearty greens into big bite-size pieces. In a big bowl, toss them with salt and pepper.

Step 5 Transfer the chicken to serving plates, leaving the fat in the pan. Off the heat, stir the honey and vinegar into the fat until the honey’s melted and everything’s combined. Dress the greens with enough of the sauce to lightly coat, seasoning with salt and pepper as needed. (Feel free to eat the chilli peppers or leave them behind.) Serve the chicken with the salad, spooning more sauce over the chicken and salad as desired.

Serves 4

Total time: 30 minutes

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.

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