Rishia Zimmern’s Chicken With Shallots

Recipe from Andrew and Rishia Zimmern

Adapted by Sam Sifton

Updated November 20, 2024

  • Christopher Testani for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Spencer Richards.
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Total Time
1½ hours
Rating
5(13,813)
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

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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

  • 12 to 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 (4 to 6 servings)

31 grams carbs; 262 milligrams cholesterol; 790 calories; 19 grams monounsaturated fat; 9 grams polyunsaturated fat; 14 grams saturated fat; 47 grams fat; 6 grams fiber; 1231 milligrams sodium; 47 grams protein; 13 grams sugar

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
13,813 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!

Ruthie

Why this recipe as made exact resulted in a very soggy skin chicken. But the other flavors were good. I am surprised that Andrew liked this as his frequent criticism includes soggy skin chicken.

The butter is burnt after 2nd batch

I followed the recipe, but after cooking the second batch of the chicken, the butter is burnt so I’m not able to use the chicken fat and the butter to roast the shallots..

E

Someone asked a while back about the shallots—they’re expensive where they live and or they couldn’t get that many? Could not find this comment to respond to but here to say that the number of shallots in this recipe is nuts. 3-5 is plenty. You do not need all those shallots to get a decent flavor. Just use a few, it will still be very good.

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Credits

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

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