Chicken Thighs with Figs and Potatoes
It is fall, and it is the perfect time to make this mustard-glazed Chicken Thighs with Figs and Potatoes. In September, Florida is lucky enough to have a few weeks of fresh figs. This season serves as a shorter, preseason of the longer December season of fresh figs. I make sure to take advantage of fig season by adding plenty of figs to this slow-baked chicken dish. The figs create a lovely, sweet sauce that pairs perfectly with the honey-mustard coating on the chicken thighs and vegetables. This one-pot dish is easy to prepare, and when it is baking, your house will smell heavenly.
Ingredients
- boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- fingerling potatoes
- honey mustard
- extra virgin olive oil
- balsamic vinegar
- Vidalia sweet onion
- fresh figs
- fresh thyme
- kosher salt
- freshly ground pepper
Olive Sunshine’s mustard-glazed Chicken Thighs with Figs and Potatoes is the best combination of two of my favorite recipes. You may remember Julene Stassou’s recipe, Chicken with Onions, Potatoes, Figs and Carrots. Stassou’s cookbook, The Mediterranean Diet Weight Loss Solution: The 28 Day Kick-Start Plan is the #1 Cookbook on the 5 Must-Have Cookbooks: How to Be Successful on the Mediterranean Diet and it certainly is one my favorite. Back when I did Weight-Watchers, one of my go-to recipes was a roasted chicken recipe that was glazed in mustard. I like both recipes and combined the best elements of both and added my own twist!
Why Chicken Thighs with Figs and Potatoes Work
- Weightwatchers uses boneless and skinless thighs: Why it works? Basting the chicken in honey mustard is healthier than roasting in the skin. The mustard serves as the skin by keeping the chicken super moist and full of flavor.
- Stassou adds figs: Why it works? The sweetness of the figs is the perfect complement to the chicken and roasted vegetables.
- Olive Sunshine adds three times of the figs omitting the carrots: Why the change? The figs are my favorite element of the recipe but by adding more, the sweetness of the carrots are no longer needed. If figs are not for you, just add the carrots.
- Olive Sunshine adds balsamic vinegar and fresh thyme: Why the change? The tang of the balsamic is the perfect balance to the figs and keeps the figs hydrated while slow-roasting!
Mustard-glazed Chicken Thighs with Figs and Potatoes is a perfect one-pan meal. An easy-prep meal, it takes approximately 15 minutes to put together and then the oven does all the work. This recipe relies on a slow-cook method. While the chicken is slow-cooking, the savory-sweet of the honey mustard has time to meld with the intensely sweet flavors of the figs. Coating the potatoes in extra virgin oil and kosher salt and drizzling the onions in balsamic vinegar moves this dish from good to amazing.
What if Figs are Out of Season?
While fresh figs are the perfect ingredient when you have mustard-glazed chicken and vegetables, dried figs can serve a substitute. Soak died figs for 20 minutes in room-temperature water. Drain the water and pat them dry. This will allow the figs to plump. It is very important to coat them in extra-virgin olive oil and balsamic to ensure they do not get dry out when roasting.
Cooking Chicken and Figs with Thyme
I love the fresh balance thyme adds to sweet figs and it is my favorite fresh herb to add to this dish. Leaving the thyme on the stems, I use one stem of thyme and wrap it around the other to hold them together. Placing them on top of the chicken it perfumes the entire dish. After removing it from the oven, I dispose of the thyme and sprinkle a few fresh leaves on top of the dish as a garnish when serving.
Mustard Chicken Thighs with Figs and Vegetables
The key to making sure this dish is delicious is to use quality ingredients. This provincial dish is simple to make, hearty and healthy. It is easy enough for a weeknight dinner for the family but special enough to serve to friends for an intimate dinner party. It is a dish best served with love! Buon appetito!
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Ingredients
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 375. Using a small drizzle of the extra virgin olive oil, coat the bottom of a medium baking dish. Place the julienned onions on the bottom of the dish. Drizzle a bit of the olive oil and half of the balsamic vinegar over the onions.
Toss the quartered potatoes in approximately one (1) tablespoon of the remaining olive oil. Place the potatoes on the onions, season the salt and pepper. Place the figs on the onions and potatoes.
Pat the chicken thighs dry with paper towel. Lightly salt and pepper both sides. Generously coat each thigh with the honey mustard. Place on top of the vegetables and figs. Drizzle the remaining olive oil on top of the chicken. Roast uncovered for 30 minutes.
Using one of the stems of thyme, wrap it around the bundle to keep the bundle separated, leaving one of two stems out to garnish the plate. Remove the baking dish from the oven. Place the bundle of thyme on top of the chicken. Carefully, using hot pads, wrap the dish in aluminum foil and place back in the oven. Roast the chicken and vegetables for 30 minutes.
Check the chicken every 5-10 minutes after it has been in the oven for 60 minutes. The chicken is finished when the potatoes are soft, the sauce is bubbling and the a meat thermometer reads 165 in the chicken thigh. Remove the thyme. Plate individually and garnish with thyme if desired. Serve immediately.
