Chicken Thighs With Fresh Plum Agrodolce

By Samantha Seneviratne

Published July 23, 2024

  • Johnny Miller for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Samantha Seneviratne.
Media 1 of 1
Total Time
25 minutes
Prep Time
5 minutes
Cook Time
20 minutes
Rating
5(471)
Comments
Read comments

Agrodolce means “bittersweet” in Italian and usually refers to a tangy sauce made with honey or sugar along with vinegar. This summertime riff is inspired by the Italian classic but uses fresh plums to add an additional sweet tart element. Simmered with sherry vinegar and honey, the softened plums make a beautiful sauce to top simple chicken thighs making this a weeknight meal that’s lovely enough for company. Round out the meal with some rice and roasted asparagus.

  • or to save this recipe.

  • Subscriber benefit: Give recipes to anyone

    As a subscriber, you have 10 gift recipes to give each month. Anyone can view them - even nonsubscribers. Learn more.

    Subscribe

  • Share this recipe

  • Print this recipe

    or to print this recipe.

Advertisement

Ingredients

Yield:4 servings

  • 3 tablespoons olive oil

  • 4 large boneless, skinless chicken thighs (about 1 ¼ pounds)

  • Salt

  • 1 large shallot (or ½ small onion), thinly sliced

  • 3 large red plums, pitted and cut into ½-inch wedges 

  • Red-pepper flakes 

  • ⅓ cup sherry vinegar

  • 3 tablespoons honey

  • 1 tablespoon cold butter, salted or unsalted

Ingredient Substitution Guide

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high. Pat the chicken dry and season with salt. Place the chicken in the skillet and brown on all sides, 3 to 4 minutes per side. (Don’t try to flip the chicken until it releases naturally from the pan.) Transfer the chicken to a plate.

  2. Step 2

    Add the remaining tablespoon olive oil to the skillet. Add the shallot and plums and season with salt and a generous pinch of red pepper. Cook, stirring, until shallots have softened. Add the vinegar and honey and bring to a simmer. Return the chicken to the pan along with any accumulated juices and cook until the sauce is syrupy and the chicken is cooked through, about 4 minutes. Transfer chicken to a serving plate. Whisk the butter into the pan sauce and season to taste.

  3. Step 3

    Serve the chicken topped with the plum sauce.

Private Notes

Leave a Private Comment on this recipe and see it here.

Ratings

5 out of 5
471 user ratings
Your rating

or to rate this recipe.

Have you cooked this?

or to mark this recipe as cooked.

Comments

lynn

curious — recipe says boneless, skinless; picture looks like bone-in, skin on, which is what i’d prefer. guess just cook a bit longer and check temp.

PB

Used four boneless pork loin chops; otherwise followed the recipe. This was easy and delicious. The sauce was intense and velvety. Definitely serve with rice, mashed potatoes, bread - something to soak up the (awesome) sauce.

Diana

“Whatever grows together, goes together. Was just reminded of this axiom by The Bear just saying —. Serving this fresh plum-based dish with asparagus at the height of summer makes no sense. How about grilled eggplant, zucchini or peppers?

Martin Sanda

This worked great with Bruce plums from a tree in our yard. Used one half honey and one half maple syrup, the maple syrup adds a dimension that fits well, might replace the honey with that altogether next time. As a side used pearl couscous which can be a nice alternative to rice for soupy sauces like this one. The plums and honey/syrup combine for a very nice balance between sweet and tart, and the red pepper flakes are spot on. Just do it!

Barbara

This was as delicious as everyone else crowed! Loved the extra sauce which made for fabulous leftovers.

Kim

Made this tonite, subbed champagne vinegar & pears (excellent), served w/roasted potatoes but will do rice next time.

Private comments are only visible to you.

Recipe Tags

or to save this recipe.