Description
Chicken Thighs in Orange Dijon Herb Sauce is one of those marvelous dinner dishes that looks and tastes like it took way more effort than it actually did. This dish is date-night-worthy-delicious and comes together in under an hour.
Ingredients
- 4 tbsp olive oil, divided
- 2 lb boneless skinless chicken thighs
- 8 oz (1 cup) dry white wine (may substitute with chicken stock + squeeze of lemon juice)
- 8 oz pearl onions, trimmed and peeled
- 300 g (2 cups) peeled and sliced carrots (I used tri-color)
- Zest of 1 orange (about 4 tsp)
- 2.7 oz (1/3 cup) fresh orange juice
- 6 tbsp Dijon mustard
- 2 cloves minced garlic*
- 1 1/2 tsp fresh thyme (or 1/2 tsp dry thyme)
- 1 tbsp fresh tarragon (or 1 tsp dry tarragon)
- 1 1/2 tsp Kosher salt, divided
- 1/2 tsp cracked black pepper, divided
- Optional: Mashed potatoes, mashed cauliflower, or rice for serving
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F (232 C).
- In a large cast-iron pan (or oven-safe skillet) over medium-high heat, add 2 tbsp olive oil.
- Pat dry the chicken thighs with a paper towel then season with 3/4 tsp of salt and 1/4 tsp pepper.
- Once the oil in the pan is glistening, add the chicken. Sear for 4-minutes on one side without disturbing, then using a pair of tongs or metal spatula, flip to sear the opposite side for an additional 4-minutes.
- While the chicken sears: In a small bowl, combine the remaining 2 tbsp olive oil, orange zest, orange juice, Dijon mustard, minced garlic, thyme, and tarragon. Stir to combine, then reserve to the side.
- Once the chicken has been seared on both sides, transfer it to a plate and reserve to the side.
- Turn the heat down to medium. Carefully add the wine to the pan (it will sizzle) and allow to reduce for 1-minute, scraping the pan if there are any bits of chicken that may have stuck to the pan, then add the onions. Continue cooking until the wine has reduced by half, then add the carrots to the pan along with the reserved chicken, moving them around so that everything is nestled in cozily.
- Cover the chicken, onions, and carrots with the reserved sauce, coating evenly. Sprinkle the remaining salt and pepper on top.
- Transfer the pan to the preheated oven to roast for 25-minutes. For tender and juicy chicken thighs, the internal temperature should register between 175-195 degrees F (80-90 C)** when tested with a meat thermometer.
- Optional: Serve over top of mashed potatoes, mashed cauliflower, or rice.
Notes
Nutritional information on Whip & Wander is provided as a courtesy and is approximate only. We cannot guarantee the accuracy of the nutritional information given for any recipe on this site.
2/24/23 This recipe was updated and may no longer fit specified dietary preferences from previous versions of this post.
*You can substitute the minced garlic and regular olive oil in favor of garlic-unfused olive oil if you prefer.
**The minimum safe internal temperature of cooked chicken is 165 degrees F (75 C), which is an ideal temperature for chicken breasts. However, I prefer to cook chicken thighs to a higher internal temperature between 175-195 degrees F (80-90 C). The reason chicken thighs should be cooked to a higher temperature is due to the abundance of connective tissue. The longer the chicken cooks, the more connective tissue breaks down into gelatin, rendering a more tender and juicy chicken thigh.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 543
- Sugar: 8 g
- Sodium: 1249 mg
- Fat: 26 g
- Saturated Fat: 4 g
- Carbohydrates: 14 g
- Fiber: 4 g
- Protein: 47 g
- Cholesterol: 210 mg