Roasted Chicken Thighs with Peaches, Basil, and Ginger
I spend all year fantasizing about July. Sure, the thermometer rises to 105 degrees almost daily, but with that heat comes fresh bell peppers, a smorgasbord of melons, and succulent, juicy peaches. And sometimes, I want those things so badly that I jump the gun and buy them a couple months early, even though I know they won't taste as good. Such was the case with the peaches I impulsively threw into my shopping cart two weeks ago. They were so hard they felt like tennis balls, and when I cut them open, I discovered they had been picked so early they barely had a pit. Unsurprisingly, the dessert I made with them was disappointing. The two left over peaches moldered in my crisper until I pulled them out today, hoping that they'd be a little softer. My hopes were dashed as soon as I squeezed them. Fourteen days, and they were still little peach-colored boulders. I considered throwing them back into the depths of the fridge, but then I remembered a recipe I had seen in In the Kitchen with a Good Appetite. It actually called for firm, unripe peaches to be roasted with chicken thighs, basil, and ginger. I thought it was worth a try.
The recipe called for boneless, skinless chicken thighs cut into strips, but I knew right away that I would prefer the bone-in, skin-on variety. Meat on the bone is so much more flavorful, and who could pass up the chance to eat brown, crispy chicken skin? Besides, I had two chicken leg quarters in the freezer already. Then, since I had a big hunk of ginger in the fridge, I grated twice as much as the recipe called for. The basil plant in the backyard needed pruning, so I doubled the fresh basil too. I thinly sliced the peaches and threw them into a small roasting pan with the chicken, herbs, and ginger, then I doused the whole thing with olive oil and Oloroso sherry. There was only one hitch: I had forgotten that my big chicken leg quarters would take longer to roast than the sliced boneless meat the recipe called for. At twenty minutes, the peaches were perfectly done and the chicken was pale pink. At thirty minutes, the peaches were beginning to look burnt around the edges, and although the meat was cooked through, the skin was a sad, unappetizing shade of beige. I pulled out the peaches, spread a bit more olive oil on the chicken, and let it cook until the skin was crispy and brown.
I paced anxiously in front of the oven while I waited for the chicken to finish. Usually, a recipe like this would fill my kitchen with all sorts of aromas, but with this one, I got almost nothing. The first real meal I had made in two weeks was going to be a flop, I thought. I needn't have worried. The chicken looked beautiful on the plate with its brown skin topped with orange peaches and flecks of chopped fresh basil. "Mmmmm," my boyfriend said when he took a bite. I popped a bit of meat into my mouth. I was shocked at the number of flavors that I erupted across my tongue. The roasted basil had developed an anise-like taste, and the Oloroso sherry had added depth and complexity. I loved how fully the simple dressing had penetrated the meat in such a short time, but the peaches were even more amazing. They were infused with the savory flavor of the chicken, yet still pleasantly sweet. The burnt tips of each slice crunched satisfyingly between my teeth, adding a smoky flavor to the dish. I watched my boyfriend pick every last morsel of meat from the bone and resolved to buy some unripe peaches every year.
2 bone-in, skin-on chicken leg quarters
2 hard peaches, thinly sliced
1 tbsp olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
1 tbsp dry sherry (preferably Oloroso)
2 tbsp chopped fresh basil
1 in. piece of peeled fresh ginger, grated
1 garlic clove, minced
Salt and pepper to taste
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Combine olive oil, sherry, basil, 1 tbsp. basil, ginger, and garlic in a small bowl. Stir to combine.
3. Arrange peach slices and chicken in a small roasting pan. Drizzle with olive oil mixture.
4. Roast 30 minutes, then remove peaches from pan. Drizzle chicken with a little extra olive oil and roast an additional 10 minutes or until skin is browned and crisp.
5. Sprinkle chicken and peaches with remaining tablespoon of chopped basil and serve.
The recipe called for boneless, skinless chicken thighs cut into strips, but I knew right away that I would prefer the bone-in, skin-on variety. Meat on the bone is so much more flavorful, and who could pass up the chance to eat brown, crispy chicken skin? Besides, I had two chicken leg quarters in the freezer already. Then, since I had a big hunk of ginger in the fridge, I grated twice as much as the recipe called for. The basil plant in the backyard needed pruning, so I doubled the fresh basil too. I thinly sliced the peaches and threw them into a small roasting pan with the chicken, herbs, and ginger, then I doused the whole thing with olive oil and Oloroso sherry. There was only one hitch: I had forgotten that my big chicken leg quarters would take longer to roast than the sliced boneless meat the recipe called for. At twenty minutes, the peaches were perfectly done and the chicken was pale pink. At thirty minutes, the peaches were beginning to look burnt around the edges, and although the meat was cooked through, the skin was a sad, unappetizing shade of beige. I pulled out the peaches, spread a bit more olive oil on the chicken, and let it cook until the skin was crispy and brown.
I paced anxiously in front of the oven while I waited for the chicken to finish. Usually, a recipe like this would fill my kitchen with all sorts of aromas, but with this one, I got almost nothing. The first real meal I had made in two weeks was going to be a flop, I thought. I needn't have worried. The chicken looked beautiful on the plate with its brown skin topped with orange peaches and flecks of chopped fresh basil. "Mmmmm," my boyfriend said when he took a bite. I popped a bit of meat into my mouth. I was shocked at the number of flavors that I erupted across my tongue. The roasted basil had developed an anise-like taste, and the Oloroso sherry had added depth and complexity. I loved how fully the simple dressing had penetrated the meat in such a short time, but the peaches were even more amazing. They were infused with the savory flavor of the chicken, yet still pleasantly sweet. The burnt tips of each slice crunched satisfyingly between my teeth, adding a smoky flavor to the dish. I watched my boyfriend pick every last morsel of meat from the bone and resolved to buy some unripe peaches every year.
2 bone-in, skin-on chicken leg quarters
2 hard peaches, thinly sliced
1 tbsp olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
1 tbsp dry sherry (preferably Oloroso)
2 tbsp chopped fresh basil
1 in. piece of peeled fresh ginger, grated
1 garlic clove, minced
Salt and pepper to taste
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Combine olive oil, sherry, basil, 1 tbsp. basil, ginger, and garlic in a small bowl. Stir to combine.
3. Arrange peach slices and chicken in a small roasting pan. Drizzle with olive oil mixture.
4. Roast 30 minutes, then remove peaches from pan. Drizzle chicken with a little extra olive oil and roast an additional 10 minutes or until skin is browned and crisp.
5. Sprinkle chicken and peaches with remaining tablespoon of chopped basil and serve.