Recipe: Simmered Chicken Thighs with Mint and Olives

Nothing gets me more excited then roasting a chicken, but I'll admit that there are times when it's more convenient to work with chicken parts.  One of my favorite parts of the chicken is the thigh as it combines both dark and white meat and is almost impossible to overcook.  I've been creating a variation of chicken thighs with mint for years and I recently found an offshoot of my recipe that I think you'll enjoy (adapted from Mario Batali). Here are the ingredients:

- 8-10 chicken thighs (bone in and skin removed, if possible)

- Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

- Flour

- 1/4 cup olive oil

- 1 large red onion thinly sliced

- 1 cup of green olives

- 1 carrot; finely chopped

- 3 cups of chicken or vegetable stock  

- 1/2 cup of fresh mint leaves

(photo: my favorite part of the chicken, the humble thigh)

Season chicken thighs liberally with salt and pepper and dredge in flour. In a heavy bottom casserole, heat 3 tablespoons olive oil until smoking. Add 4-6 thighs at a time (depending on size of casserole) and brown well on all sides. Remove and repeat with remaining thighs. Remove last thighs and add sliced onions and cook until softened, about 8 to 10 minutes. Add olives, carrot and chicken stock and bring to a boil. Return chicken pieces to pot, submerge and bring to boil. Lower heat to a simmer and cover pot with tight fitting lid or aluminum foil and simmer 1 hour. Remove lid and allow to cook 10 minutes uncovered.  Add fresh mint (hand torn do not dice with a knife) during the last 2-3 minutes of cooking.

Serve with fresh sauteed fava beans and good bread.