Chicken Thighs With Cabbage And Bacon Food

CHICKEN WITH BACON AND CABBAGE

Steps:

• Fry bacon until golden in a heavy three-quart casserole. Remove bacon from pan and drain on absorbent paper.
• Dry chicken pieces and brown them well, a few at a time, in the bacon fat in the pan. Remove chicken and set aside. Pour all but one tablespoon of the bacon fat out of the pan.
• Saute the onion in the one tablespoon of bacon fat over low heat until soft but not brown. Add the garlic and saute a few minutes longer. Add the vinegar and deglaze the pan, scraping up any browned particles. Add the cabbage to the pan, cover and cook over very low heat until the cabbage is wilted, 10 to 15 minutes.
• Stir in the wine, thyme, pepper and the bacon. Return the chicken to the pan. Cover and simmer over low heat about 35 minutes, until the chicken is done.
• Arrange the chicken on a serving platter. Arrange the cabbage mixed with bacon alongside or around the chicken, draining it well to leave as much cooking liquid as possible in the pan. Cover to keep warm.
• Briefly boil down the cooking liquid to thicken it slightly. Off heat, swirl in the butter bit by bit. Spoon some of the sauce over the chicken and the rest over the cabbage before serving.

CHICKEN WITH BACON AND CABBAGE

Steps:

• Brown the chicken in the olive oil - you can skip this step if you're short on time.
• Remove chicken, pour off any excess fat.
• Brown the onion.
• Add the garlic and bacon and continue to brown.
• Add the remaining ingredients.
• Top up with water or stock if chicken not covered.
• Reduce heat and cook slowly for 1-2 hours.
• Stir in the thyme, salt and pepper - be careful with the salt because the bacon and olives are salty.
• You can thicken with corn flour if you like. Sometimes I chop up a potato and add with the cabbage to thicken it.
• Serve with pasta, rice, potatoes, polenta etc.

ROAST CHICKEN WITH SMOTHERED CABBAGE, BACON, AND POTATOES

Steps:

• Arrange rack in middle of oven; preheat to 425ºF. Finely zest lemon into a medium bowl. Cut zested lemon in half lengthwise; set one half aside and reserve the other for another use. Add garlic, chives, parsley, and butter and mash together with a fork.
• Pat inside and outside of chicken dry. From edge of cavity, loosen skin from breasts and thighs. Push butter mixture under skin, then gently rub outside of skin to evenly distribute over breasts and legs. Tie together legs with twine. Season chicken with 1 1/2 tsp. salt and 1/2 tsp. pepper.
• Heat roasting pan in oven 10 minutes. Meanwhile, toss potatoes, bacon, caraway seeds, 1/4 tsp. salt, 1/8 tsp. pepper, and 1 Tbsp. plus 1 tsp. oil in a large bowl. Toss cabbage and remaining 1/4 tsp. salt, 1/8 tsp. pepper, and 1 Tbsp. plus 2 tsp. oil in another large bowl.
• Remove pan from oven; quickly combine and arrange potato mixture, cabbage mixture, and remaining oil left in bowls in pan, spreading toward edges to make room for chicken. Place chicken, breast side up, on top; it's okay if chicken sits on some vegetables. Carefully return pan to oven and roast 25 minutes (some cabbage edges will be blackened).
• Remove pan from oven; squeeze reserved lemon half over chicken and vegetables. Gently stir vegetables to coat with pan drippings. Reduce oven temperature to 400ºF and continue roasting until chicken juices run clear when thigh is pierced with a fork and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh registers 165°F, 40-50 minutes more.
• Transfer chicken to a cutting board; let rest 15 minutes. Carve, serve with vegetable mixture, and top with parsley leaves.