Bacon & Cider Chicken Thighs with Crispy Shallots
Ingredients
- 6 slicesbacon
- 4 wholechicken thighs (bone-in, skin-on)
- 4 mediumshallots
- ¾ cupapple cider
- ½ cupchicken broth
- 4 sprigsfresh thyme
- ·salt
- ·black pepper
Prep
- 01
Slice 4 medium shallots into quarters.
- 02
Pick leaves from 4 sprigs fresh thyme, or keep whole if using sprigs.
Method
- 01
Cook bacon in a large skillet over medium-high heat until crispy, about 8 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel and chop into bite-sized pieces. Pour off all but 2 tablespoons of bacon fat.
- 02
Pat chicken thighs dry and season both sides generously with salt and pepper. Place skin-side down in the hot bacon fat and cook for 5 minutes until the skin is golden. Flip and cook the other side for 2 minutes.
- 03
Push chicken to the side of the pan. Add shallots and cook for 3 minutes, stirring, until they start to soften and brown at the edges.
- 04
Pour in apple cider and chicken broth, scraping up any browned bits. Add thyme sprigs and return chicken skin-side up. Cover and simmer over medium heat for 12 minutes until chicken is cooked through (165°F at the thickest part).
- 05
Uncover, scatter chopped bacon over the top, and let it warm through for 1 minute. Serve with the pan sauce spooned over.
Spice Tips
For depth, add 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard to the pan sauce before simmering. A pinch of smoked paprika brings earthy warmth. If you like heat, a crack of black pepper or a small pinch of cayenne works well.