Pepper-Brined Chicken with honey-garlic sauce

By saleo

Pickled banana peppers add briny, spicy crunch to many foods, but while those vibrant golden rings quickly disappear from the jar, the salty, flavorful liquid they’re packed in often just gets discarded. But not anymore — it makes an ideal brine for chicken. Take chicken to a new level and pan roast a couple of brined hindquarters. They’re more moist and flavorful than breasts, and the brine adds even more juiciness. After removing the hindquarters from the brine and patting dry, all you need to do is coat them in flour for a crispy
sear, then finish in the oven. Use the flavorful drippings to whip up a sauce.

Ingredients

• 2 2 2 chicken hindquarters (10–12 oz. each)
• 1 from 1 jar (16 oz.)banana pepper rings
• Black pepper
• 1/4 1/4 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 1/2 1/2 tsp. dried thyme
• 2 2 2 Tbsp. safflower or peanut oil

Details

Servings 2
Preparation time 30mins
Cooking time 30mins

Preparation

Step 1

Submerge chicken in liquid from banana pepper jar in a large bowl; cover and chill, turning occasionally, 4 hours or overnight.

Preheat oven to 400°.

Remove chicken from liquid and pat dry with paper towels; season with black pepper.

Combine flour and thyme; dredge chicken in flour mixture.

Sauté chicken in oil in a sauté pan over medium-high heat until browned on both sides, 8–10 minutes.

Transfer pan to oven and roast chicken until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh or leg registers 170°. Transfer chicken to a plate and tent with foil.

Carefully place pan on stove top over medium-high heat. Deglaze pan with broth, scaping up any brown bits. Add garlic and honey; simmer until broth reduces to about 1/4 cup, 3–5 minutes.

Off heat, whisk butter into sauce a few cubes at a time until all butter
is incorporated and sauce thickens.

Serve sauce with chicken.