Osso Bucco Style Chicken

By dorchuk

with veal shanks now out of sight in price, I’ve started making it using meaty chicken thighs. Wow, is it good! Chicken takes half the time and costs a fraction of the original.
Osso Bucco with risotto but am not fond of all that last-minute stirring, especially when I have guests for dinner. I found a French version recently which makes it all much easier and produces a creamy, but not soupy product. The broth is added all at once; the rice covered and gently simmered.

Ingredients

• While this dish can be served right away, the flavors do benefit by an overnight (covered), in the ‘fridge. Bring to room temperature before gently rewarming. The gremolata should be freshly made.
• 8 boneless, skin-on chicken thighs
• Salt and ground black pepper to taste
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 small onion, halved and sliced
• 1/2 cup diced fresh carrots
• 4 garlic cloves, minced, divided
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 1/4 cup low-sodium chicken broth
• 1 (14.5 oz.) can crushed tomatoes, undrained
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 tablespoons snipped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 2 teaspoons grated lemon zest

Preparation

Step 1

Discard any excess skin or fat which may be hanging from the chicken thighs. Season chicken with salt and pepper and then dredge in the flour, patting off the excess. Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat until it shimmers. Add the chicken and cook, turning occasionally, until brown on both sides, 10 to 15 minutes. (Reduce the heat to medium if chicken begins to brown too quickly.) Transfer chicken to a plate and drain off all but 1 tablespoon of the fat from the pan. Set the chicken aside.
Reduce heat to medium. Add the onion and carrots to the pan. Cook and stir until the onion is tender, about 4 minutes; add 3/4ths of the minced garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant, 30 seconds more. Add the wine and broth to the pan, stirring to loosen any browned bits from the bottom. Add the tomatoes and their juices, and the bay leaf. Return chicken to the pan, skin side up.

Bring to a boil; reduce heat to medium-low cover, and simmer until chicken is tender and no longer pink, or 180-degrees on the meat thermometer. Discard bay leaf. (If the sauce is not thick enough for you, remove the chicken and keep warm, covered loosely with foil, while you turn up the heat to reduce the sauce.)

Meanwhile, make gremolata in a small bowl: Stir together the parsley, lemon zest and remaining minced garlic together.

Arrange the chicken on four dinner plates or over a bed of rice (see recipe below). Spoon some of the vegetables and sauce over each serving. Sprinkle with the gremolata and serve.

CREAMY RICE (4 to 6 servings)

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

1/2 cup finely chopped onion


3/4 cup Arborio rice

2-1/4 cups low-sodium chicken broth

Freshly ground black pepper

1/3 cup freshly grated Gruyère or Parmigiano-Reggiano

2 tablespoons finely snipped flat-leaf parsley

Melt the butter in a medium-size heavy saucepan over medium heat. Add the
. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the rice and cook, stirring, about 2 minutes more.

(The rice should be nicely coated with butter and just opaque.)

Stir in the chicken broth all at once and season with pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, covered, until rice has absorbed most of the broth but is still somewhat soupy, about 20 minutes.

Remove the pan from the heat and let it stand, covered, until the rice is thick and creamy rather than soupy, about 5 minutes. Stir in the cheese, taste for seasoning and add salt, if necessary (you may not need any). Add the herbs and serve hot.