Rishia Zimmern’s Chicken With Shallots

Recipe from Andrew and Rishia Zimmern

Adapted by Sam Sifton

Updated Nov. 21, 2024

Rishia Zimmern’s Chicken With Shallots
Christopher Testani for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Spencer Richards.
Total Time
1½ hours
Rating
5(12,397)
Comments
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Here is a simple, excellent one-pot recipe for a midweek feast, full of rich flavor, with a sauce that you won't want to waste. It came to The Times in 2014 via the Twitter account of Andrew Zimmern, the chef and globe-trotting television personality who thrills to home cooking when he's not at work, which is not often. His then wife, Rishia Zimmern, adapted it from Martha Stewart, and he put it on the social network: “Brown 8 thighs, 3 C shallots. Add wine, tarragon, Dijon, sim 30 min covered. Remove lid, reduce. Add 2C cut cherry toms.” We’ve been messing around with that ever since, and thrill to its flavor. Lay in bread to accompany it, and sop up the sauce. —Sam Sifton

Featured in: Home Cooking, Chef-Style

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Ingredients

Yield:4 to 6 servings
  • 8 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
  • 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 1 tablespoon kosher salt
  • 1 tablespoon black pepper
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 12to 15 whole medium shallots, peeled
  • 2 cups white wine
  • 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
  • 2 tarragon sprigs
  • 2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)

790 calories; 47 grams fat; 14 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 19 grams monounsaturated fat; 9 grams polyunsaturated fat; 31 grams carbohydrates; 6 grams dietary fiber; 13 grams sugars; 47 grams protein; 1231 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Pat the chicken thighs very dry with paper towels. Sprinkle the flour, salt and pepper over the chicken.

  2. Step 2

    Melt the butter in a large, heavy-bottomed pot or skillet set over medium-high heat. When the butter foams, cook the chicken, in batches if necessary, until well browned and crisp on all sides. Set aside.

  3. Step 3

    Add the whole shallots to the pot and sauté them in the butter and chicken fat until they begin to soften and caramelize, about 10 to 12 minutes. Add the wine to deglaze the pot, stir with a large spoon, then add the mustard and tarragon, then the chicken thighs. Cover the pot, turn the heat to low and simmer for 30 minutes.

  4. Step 4

    Remove the lid, and allow the sauce to reduce and thicken, 15 to 20 minutes.

  5. Step 5

    Add the cherry tomatoes to the pot, stir lightly to combine and serve immediately.

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Ratings

5 out of 5
12,397 user ratings
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Comments

Shar squier

This is a great recipe but what makes it even better is to finish it off in the oven which makes the skin crispy instead of mushy.

Amy

Regarding the shallots....is "a medium shallot" the 2 halves, or just one half that is found in a normal shallot? This makes a huge difference! I wish the recipe indicated the shallot amount in terms of ounces or cups. My grocery sells them 'whole' which is 2 halves, and some that have split in half already.

Betsy R

I call this the best chicken dish I ever made!!! I did not use so much wine, however, because it seemed like that would make it too sour for our taste. Instead I used a half cup of vermouth and the rest chicken broth. I also used skinless, boneless chicken thighs that I salted, floured and browned. Worked like a dream and it was truly "to die for!" I emailed all my sisters and my mother to alert them to this most incredible recipe!

AJ

Halved the recipe. Cooked in a Dutch oven. Started at medium high for browning chicken. When cooking shallots, lowered heat to medium, and added small splashes of water every few minutes to prevent burning. Used boneless skinless thighs (they still contributed plenty of fond). Otherwise followed the instructions to a T. Reduced for the full 20 minutes and was able to get a nice gravy. Served over mashed potatoes and with a side of roasted Brussel sprouts for veg. Was delicious, and fun to make.

Fanae

Delicious! I added peeled and chopped turnips (yum!) with the chicken and shallots and then right at the end some spinach. I followed the excellent comment to put the chicken under the broiler right at the end too to crisp the skin. I wish I had had better quality tomatoes but other than that a keeper!

Much better braised chicken out there

With the 5 star review from thousands I expected this to be fantastic- but this recipe gets a lot of love from people who make a lot of changes. Made as stated, the chicken skin is sooo soggy (you crisp and then steam it???). I broiled it at the end to revive it- because the skin would have been inedible but on principle I always try to make a recipe as stated if I am going to review it. There are so many similar simple braised chicken dishes that also give you some heartier side dishes in the same pot as you braise. In this case the tomatoes and shallots seemed like more of just a sauce instead of pulling that double duty as a side. 3 stars- won’t make again.

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Credits

Adapted from Andrew and Rishia Zimmern, by way of Martha Stewart

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