Crispy Seared Chicken Thighs with Kumquat Pan Sauce

This chicken recipe hits all the right notes: crunchy, juicy, fatty, acidic-the list goes on. My sister who claims to ‘not remember the last time she actually enjoyed eating chicken’ said this dish is perfect: easy to make but with a super impressive result. That sounds like a win to me. I like to serve this alongside fresh bread and butter to mop up all the tasty sauce. And of course, a chilled glass (or bottle!) of Riesling.

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 35 minutes

Serves: 3-4

Ingredients

6 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (about 1 ½-2 pounds)

Kosher salt

2 Tablespoons olive oil

1 medium shallot, diced

1 ½ cup chicken stock

1 orange, segmented, juice reserved*

1 bay leaf

1 cup sliced kumquats  

6 Tablespoons unsalted butter

Generous pinch of red chili flakes, plus more for garnish

Black pepper

Two large handfuls of baby arugula (about 3 ounces)

Flaky salt

Method

Thoroughly pat dry chicken thighs with a paper towel. Season generously with salt and allow to come to room temperature.

Heat oil in a non-reactive skillet over medium-high heat. Once oil is hot add chicken thighs, skin side down, and cook until deep golden-brown, about 8-10 minutes. Flip chicken and cook until juices run clear, about 10-15 more minutes depending on the size of the thighs. Once chicken reads 165F remove from pan and set aside to rest, skin side up.

Pour off all oil except 1 Tablespoon. Allow pan to cool slightly and adjust heat to medium-low. Add shallot and cook until beginning to brown, about one minute. Deglaze pan with chicken stock and reserved orange juice, then add the bay leaf. Simmer until reduced by a third, about 5 minutes. Add sliced kumquats and butter and stir until butter is melted and emulsified. Add chili flakes and adjust seasoning to taste with salt and pepper.  

Arrange arugula on serving platter and top with chicken thighs. Spoon kumquat pan sauce on and around chicken, being careful not to spoon directly onto that skin you just worked so hard to make crispy! Arrange orange segments and top with flaky salt and an extra pinch of red chili flakes, if desired.  

Serve immediately.

*To segment (or supreme) the orange, slice off the top and bottom of the orange and stand it upright on the cutting board. Starting at the top, guide your knife down the side of the orange removing the peel, repeat this until the orange is fully peeled and all white pith removed. Holding the orange over a small bowl to catch the juices, slice along each membrane to remove the segment. Once all segments have been removed, squeeze the remaining juice out of the orange remnants and reserve.