I can practically hear the knife cutting through the golden, crackling skin into the juicy, tender meat of a perfectly cooked, crispy chicken thigh. Cue the mouthwatering now. We’ve solved the soggy chicken skin problem by searing our chicken thighs on the stove before nestling them into a pan of creamy mushroom sauce and baking through. This method creates perfectly cooked, crispy chicken thighs every single time.
You’ll love the complex, tangy flavor of the creamy mushroom sauce, which combines yogurt, Dijon, seasonings, and white wine for the most luxuriously silky texture. Not only does the sauce add incredible flavor to the chicken, but it makes everything you serve with it that much better. Drizzled over mashed potatoes or roasted cauliflower, this dish becomes a family favorite comfort meal any time of year.
How to make crispy chicken thighs
Ingredients
Process
- Preheat oven to 375ËšF. Place a large skillet over medium-high heat. Once skillet is hot add oil. Season chicken well with salt and pepper.
- Add chicken, skin-side down to skillet. Sear chicken thighs for 5 to 6 minutes or until skin has browned.
- Flip chicken and cook for an additional 5 to 6 minutes.
- Remove thighs from skillet and set aside. Melt butter in skillet and saute mushrooms, garlic and shallots for 3 to 4 minutes. Add thyme and continue to saute for an additional minute. Season with salt and pepper.
- Deglaze skillet with white wine, until pan is almost dry, scraping up any bits from the bottom of the pan.
- Stir in mustard and stock, lower heat to medium and simmer until stock has reduced by half. Season with salt and pepper.
- Nestle chicken thighs, skin-side up, into the mushroom sauce and place skillet into oven for about 15 minutes or until chicken cooks through.
- Remove skillet from oven and place onto stovetop with no heat. Remove thighs from skillet and add a dollop of yogurt.
- stir yogurt into sauce until fully incorporated. Place over low heat and barely simmer, just to heat the yogurt sauce through.
- Adjust seasonings (salt and pepper) and whisk in a little more stock to thin sauce, if needed. Place chicken thighs back into skillet and serve.
How to achieve the crispiest chicken thighs
Creating a truly crispy skin on chicken thighs comes down to a few simple, but non-negotiable, steps. If you skip any of them, you risk chewy, rubbery skin instead of the golden, crackling crust you’re after.
- Remove all moisture from the skin by patting it dry with paper towels. If you have time, leave the chicken thighs uncovered in the refrigerator for up to an hour before cooking to help dry them out even further.
- Season the skin well on all sides, not just the top.
- Make sure your pan is hot when you add the oil and that the oil is hot when you add the chicken. The oil should be between 325°F and 350°F. Test the temperature with an instant-read thermometer or, if you don’t have one, by dropping a tiny piece of flour into the oil. If the flour immediately sizzles, the pan should be hot enough.
- Cook the chicken skin side down first, and don’t move it. When the skin is crispy, the chicken should release naturally from the pan, but this can take anywhere from 5 to 7 minutes. While you’re waiting, don’t move or disturb the chicken.
- Make sure you finish the chicken in the oven skin-side up, keeping the skin above the sauce line in the pan.
Plain yogurt alternatives for the sauce
Plain yogurt gives this sauce a creamy texture and a subtle tanginess, but if you don’t have any on hand, there are a few other options you can use:
- Plain Greek yogurt: Greek yogurt (of any fat percentage) is thicker than traditional yogurt but has the same tangy flavor and creamy texture.
- Sour cream: You can swap sour cream 1:1 for yogurt in this recipe. The nutrition will be different, as sour cream generally has a much higher fat content than yogurt, but it will provide the same tanginess and texture.
- Heavy cream: This is the more traditional option for mushroom sauces and gives the sauce a rich, creamy texture without the tang of yogurt.
- Full-fat coconut milk: For a dairy-free version, use full-fat coconut milk, which gives the sauce similar richness and body. Be prepared for this alternative to change the flavor, but coconut pairs well with mushrooms and thyme, so it will still be delicious.
Tips and tricks for success
To keep the sauce silky smooth and creamy, wait a couple of minutes after taking the pan out of the oven before adding the yogurt. If the sauce is too hot, the yogurt could curdle, breaking the sauce and ruining the velvety texture we’re after. As extra assurance, let the yogurt sit at room temperature for 30 minutes before adding it, or temper it by stirring a few spoonfuls of warm sauce into it first, which helps bring the temperature up slowly.
Don’t forget to remove the chicken thighs from the pan before adding the yogurt. Getting these out of the way lets you fully combine the yogurt into the sauce without risking it soaking into the skin before serving.
How to store and reheat chicken thighs
This dish is best served immediately after you’ve taken it out of the oven, as the longer it sits, the less crispy the skin will get from absorbing the sauce. However, it still makes for delicious leftovers!
To store chicken thighs and mushroom sauce:
Let the chicken and sauce cool completely, then refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
To reheat:
We recommend reheating the chicken thighs on the stove. Heat a pan over medium-high heat and add the chicken and sauce. If it’s too thick, whisk in a splash of chicken stock. Heat until warmed through.
If you want the skin to be as crispy as possible when reheating, we recommend heating the chicken and sauce separately. Heat the sauce on the stove as directed above, and heat the chicken in the air fryer at 350°F for 5 to 7 minutes, or until warmed through and sizzling.
What to serve with our crispy chicken thighs
Our number one side dish for these crispy chicken thighs is mashed potatoes. The creamy mushroom sauce serves as an indulgent gravy, making everything on the plate taste that much better! Roasted potatoes, smashed potatoes, and mini hasselback potatoes are also great options.
Instead of potatoes, simple steamed rice or egg noodles are a great starchy option to help you soak up every little bit of the sauce.
To balance the meal out, a simple green side salad, Caesar salad, or roasted green beans are all great complements.
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Crispy Chicken Thighs (in a Creamy Mushroom Sauce)
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Ingredients
- 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
- 4 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 4 ounces sliced cremini mushrooms
- 4 ounces stemmed and sliced shiitake mushrooms
- 1 minced garlic clove
- 1/2 minced shallot about 2 tablespoons
- 1 tablespoon minced thyme
- 1/2 cup dry white wine
- 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- 1 cup unsalted chicken stock
- 1/2 cup plain yogurt
- salt and pepper to taste
- fresh thyme leaves, garnish
Instructions
-
Preheat oven to 375ËšF.
-
Place a large skillet over medium-high heat. Once skillet is hot add oil.
-
Season chicken well with salt and pepper and add chicken, skin-side down to skillet.
-
Sear chicken thighs for 5 to 6 minutes or until skin has browned.
-
Flip chicken and cook for an additional 5 to 6 minutes. Remove thighs from skillet and set aside.
-
Melt butter in skillet and saute mushrooms, garlic and shallots for 3 to 4 minutes. Add thyme and continue to saute for an additional minute. Season with salt and pepper.
-
Deglaze skillet with white wine, until pan is almost dry, scraping up any bits from the bottom of the pan.
-
Stir in mustard and stock, lower heat to medium and simmer until stock has reduced by half. Season with salt and pepper.
-
Nestle chicken thighs, skin-side up, into the mushroom sauce and place skillet into oven for about 15 minutes or until chicken cooks through.
-
Remove from heat, remove thighs from skillet. Stir yogurt into sauce until fully incorporated (wait a ciuple minutes if the skillet is very hot to avoid the yogurt breaking as its stirred into the stock mixture. Adjust seasonings (salt and pepper) and whisk in a little more stock to thin sauce, if needed. Place chicken thighs back into skillet and serve topped with thyme.
Notes
Tips and tricks for success
To keep the sauce silky smooth and creamy, wait a couple of minutes after taking the pan out of the oven before adding the yogurt. If the sauce is too hot, the yogurt could curdle, breaking the sauce and ruining the velvety texture we’re after. As extra assurance, let the yogurt sit at room temperature for 30 minutes before adding it, or temper it by stirring a few spoonfuls of warm sauce into it first, which helps bring the temperature up slowly.
Don’t forget to remove the chicken thighs from the pan before adding the yogurt. Getting these out of the way lets you fully combine the yogurt into the sauce without risking it soaking into the skin before serving.
Nutrition
The post Crispy Chicken Thighs (in a Creamy Mushroom Sauce) appeared first on Spoon Fork Bacon.
