Five-Spice Chicken Thighs with Snap Peas
SERVES 4
WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS For a dish featuring golden, crisp skin and moist, tender dark meat, bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs were the obvious choice. Slashing the skin a few times before roasting the thighs allowed the fat in the skin to render, and turning on the broiler for the last few minutes of cooking ensured the skin crisped nicely. So the chicken thighs tasted as good as they looked, we rubbed a compound butter, enlivened with minced garlic, fresh ginger, and a bit of five-spice powder, under the skin. A pat of the compound butter also added richness and flavor to the snap peas we steamed in a skillet to round out the meal. Transfer the cooked snap peas to a serving dish immediately to avoid overcooking.
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4 |
tablespoons unsalted butter |
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Fresh ginger |
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1 |
garlic clove |
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½ |
teaspoon five-spice powder |
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8 |
(5- to 7-ounce) bone-in chicken thighs |
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1 |
pound sugar snap peas |
1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 450 degrees. Set wire rack in rimmed baking sheet lined with aluminum foil. Soften 3 tablespoons butter, grate 2 teaspoons ginger, mince garlic, and combine with five-spice powder in bowl; measure out and reserve 1 tablespoon butter mixture separately. Trim chicken, pat dry with paper towels, and gently loosen center portion of skin covering each thigh. Using spoon, place remaining 2 tablespoons butter mixture evenly underneath skin of thighs. Gently press on skin to spread out butter. Lay chicken, skin side up, on prepared rack.
2. Cut 3 diagonal slashes through skin of each thigh; do not cut into meat. Melt remaining 1 tablespoon butter, brush over chicken, and season with salt and pepper. Roast until chicken registers 165 degrees, 30 to 40 minutes.
3. Remove chicken from oven. Adjust oven rack 6 inches from broiler element and heat broiler. Broil chicken until skin is crisp and thighs register 175 degrees, 5 to 10 minutes. Transfer chicken to platter and cover to keep warm.
4. Remove strings from snap peas and combine with ⅓ cup water in 12-inch nonstick skillet. Cover and cook over medium-high heat until peas are almost crisp-tender, about 4 minutes. Uncover and continue to cook, stirring often, until skillet is dry and peas are crisp-tender, about 2 minutes longer. Stir in reserved 1 tablespoon butter mixture and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve with chicken.