When I was kid, we ate Mexican food every Friday night. That was sort of unusual for a midwestern family in the 70s and 80’s. But my dad grew up in southern Arizona, and after they were married, my mom learned to cook the dishes he remembered from home. Mom […]
Bone-In
Sheet Pan Chicken Thighs with Grapes and Almonds
This simple preparation is a great dinner party dish because it is fast, it serves a crowd, and weirdly, it ends up being a stunning dish. Chicken thighs are roasted with garlic, thyme, shallots, red grapes, and whole almonds. The grapes collapse and burst to form a sweet and sour […]
Chicken with Lemon, Tomatoes, and Honey
This simple, sweet and sour braise is a riff on a pork chop dish my mother prepared often when I was a child and today it has become a favorite in our house. Unlike the thin, dry, grocery store pork chops that Mom used, rich, flavorful chicken thighs are the […]
Chicken Green Chili
There are many recipes for White Chili or Chicken Chili out there, most of which taste like chicken soup with a little green pepper thrown in. However, the nature of chicken thighs, with the deep flavor of the meat, and the additional fat and collagen, allows you to use them […]
Chicken Thigh “Cassoulet”
This post comes with apologies. Apologies to my french friends, to purists, and to anyone who’s looking for a “real” Cassoulet. This isn’t that. It’s not french. It’s not authentic. It’s not “real” Cassoulet. On the other hand, this is something you can make at home here in the states, […]
Chicken with Onions, Olives, and Vinegar
I make many variations on sweet and sour chicken thighs. The cut holds up well to the flavors, and the naturally high collagen content of the meat helps to bring the high acid and sweet ingredients together with the unctuous fats and stock to make wonderfully rich sauces. This particular […]
Poulet Moutarde (French style mustard chicken)
I’m unapologetic about my love for French food. Some of it’s simply nostalgia. I love the time I’ve spent in France, and the kind close friends who live there. But there’s something else. French cooking – and I mean rustic homestyle french cooking, not the finicky perfection of modern Haute […]
Country Captain
As a child, my family spent holidays on Edisto Island in the low country of South Carolina. While many of our meals there consisted of nothing more than an enormous pile of boiled shrimp, potatoes, and corn, nearly every year my mother brought back at least one of the spiral […]