Lovely day today.  I am doing just what I wanted to do when I bought this new computer equipment.  I am sitting on the porch with Jim’s little table, that can be put to any level, and writing my blog.  We had a lovely lunch at 360 Bistro with my painting friend and her husband.  

This dinner is from Tucci, but not his cookbook.  I got it off the Williams Sonoma site.  If you haven’t been to the store lately, they have a set of Tucci pots and pans.  They are gorgeous.  If I didn’t have every cephalon pot and pan that exists, I would defiantly would buy them.  Back to the recipe.  The spice for the thighs was delicious.  I would make them again and again.  The sauce, I was not so keen on.   We’ve had better sauce from Tucci, like the night before with the eggs. 

I did not make 4 C rice.  I did my usual 1 C rice.  We did find the brand of rice that he listed.  I did not like it as much as my Japanese rice.  Jim consumed most of it.  Now I have a big box of rice I am not fond of.  Plus, I have every color of rice except purple already in the cupboard.  I also never use Granny Smith apples, I don’t like them.  

Ingredients:

2# bone-in skin-on chicken thighs

3 T vegetable oil

4 C cooked Ralston Family Farms Nature’s Blend purple, red and brown rice mix or cooked brown rice or cooked wild rice.

Spice for chicken:

2 t kosher salt

1 t garlic powder

1/2 t onion powder

1/2 t black pepper

Sauce:

1 large Granny Smith apple, peeled, cored, and diced 

1 yellow onion, halved and sliced lengthwise

4 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 C Cognac or other brandy

1 C low-sodium chicken stock

1t chopped fresh thyme

1 t chopped fresh oregano

1 can diced tomatoes

Directions:

1. Place the chicken in a large bowl.  Sprinkle with the spices as listed above and toss well to season the chicken evenly.  (You will have to hand toss to coat the chicken evenly.   Either wear disposable rubber gloves or wash your hands thoroughly after tossing if you don’t.)
2. Heat a large fry pan over medium-high heat and add the vegetable oil.  When the oil begins to shimmer, add the chicken skin side down and sear until golden brown on the first side, 3-4 minutes.  Turn and repeat on the other side.  Transfer the chicken to a plate.  (I took the skin off.)
3. Reduce the heat to medium, add the apple to the pan and sauté until starting to soften, about 3 minutes.  
4. Add the onion and and sauté, stirring occasionally, until starting to soften, about 4 minutes, then stir in the garlic and cook for 2 minutes.  
5. Add the Cognac and stir to deglaze the pan, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom.  Cook for about 4 minutes to cook off the Cognac, then stir in the chicken stock, thyme and oregano.  
6. Return the chicken to the pan, reduce the heat to low, cover the pan and simmer for about 2 minutes.  Add the tomatoes and simmer until the chicken is cooked through, about 5 minutes more, or longer if needed.
7. Check the seasoning and serve over the hot rice.  
8. Serves 6.  (Well 2# of chicken thighs were only 4 in the package.   Also I made only 1 C of the dry rice and it is not 4 C cooked.  If you were having an full Italian meal there would be about 4 courses.  So then I could see it serving 6.)