The Best Weeknight Chicken Dinner

Sometimes making dinner is an exercise in You’re Not Going To Beat Me, Monday.  Let’s acknowledge that it takes grit and fortitude to stand in the kitchen and hustle ingredients together at the end of a day.  Sure, we can easily categorize dinner as a nighttime necessity, but I prefer to think of it as radical self-care… because anything that isn’t popcorn or scrambled eggs is me really taking care of myself. 

This dinner is thoughtful in its ease and economy, making us very good at adults, if only for today.  

Here we go.  We’ve got dinner in about 40 minutes, with about 20 minutes in there to stand next to the stove, have a glass of wine, and space out while the chicken simmers.  

This recipe is great with boneless, skinless chicken thighs.  Not only are they delicious and really easy to cook, chicken thighs are also super affordable.  Could you make this recipe with boneless, skinless chicken breast?  If you must… but slice a large chicken breast in two before cooking.  Really though… go thighs.  

The chicken thighs are seasoned generously with salt and pepper.  Sea salt and fresh cracked black pepper are preferred if you have. 

Brown the chicken thighs in olive oil until golden and just slightly crisp on both sides.  This isn’t about cooking the chicken through, it’s about caramelization.  

Sliced onion, big chunks of potato, and whole cloves of garlic are tossed in to sauté.

White wine is added to deglaze the pan, scraping up and flavorful bits that may have stuck to the bottom of the pan.  And chicken stock to be a simmer for the potatoes, chicken, and garlic.  

Braised to tender in 25 minutes!  

Those are the 20 minutes you should consider sipping wine and spacing out.  The simmer does all the work.  

The potatoes will be soft and moist, the chicken fall-apart tender, and the garlic softened to irresistible.  

Serve with rice and buttered peas and pat yourself on the back for resisting the microwave popcorn siren song.  Win. 

The Best Weeknight Chicken Dinner

★★★★★ 4.5 from 8 reviews

• Author: Joy the Baker
• Prep Time: 15
• Cook Time: 25
• Total Time: 40

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Ingredients

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• 8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
• sea salt and fresh cracked black pepper
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 small onion, sliced
• 2 red new potatoes, diced into large chunks
• 8 cloves garlic, peeled and left whole
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 1 cup chicken stock
• 1 bay leaf
• cooked white rice and peas

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Instructions

1. Season both sides of the chicken thighs with salt and pepper.
2. In a large saucepan, heat olive oil over medium heat. When oil is hot, add all of the chicken pieces, allowing to cook to golden, about 4 to 5 minutes before flipping and browning on the opposite side. When both sides are browned, add the onion slices, potato chunks, and whole peeled garlic cloves. Toss so that all of the ingredients begin to cook down, about 4 minutes more.
3. Add the white wine and stir to deglaze the bottom of the pan. Cook until the wine has reduced by half, about 3 minutes.
4. Add the chicken stock and bay leaf. Place the lid on the pan, reduce the heat to low, and simmer the mixture for 25 minutes until the potatoes are tender and the chicken is cooked through.
5. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the chicken and potatoes to a platter. Discard the bay leaf. Simmer the sauce until thickened, about 4 to 5 minutes.
6. Serve with white rice and cooked peas, chicken, and sauce.

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Nutrition

• Serving Size: 4