Why Riesling Chicken?
Wine drinkers could be categorized in multiple ways, but one major one is: Category A, those who like sweet wines, and Category B, those who do not. I am firmly a Category B type person, as it seems, is every member of my immediate family. This last Christmas, as my mother opened a gift from a neighbor and drew forth a bottle of Riesling wine, three generations of Fisher women looked at one another.
“Would you drink it, Catherine?” my Mom asked.
“Hhhhmmm. Maybe she would . . . ,” I said, taking the wine to look at the label, then passing it along to my daughter, all the while thinking — no. It’s going to be too sweet.
“I’ve never had Riesling before, Nana — but I’ll to give it a try.”
Sure enough, as my sister helped me pack the car the next morning, she brought out the bottle. “I, um. Yeah. You know you can keep that, Carolyn.”
“Oh, no,” she said grinning. “This is definitely going home with you. Mom insists.”
In the wine went, carefully tucked into a safe spot between luggage. My daughter, Catherine, returned to university in January, and a few days later I came across the untried bottle of Riesling in my wine fridge.
And here is what I did with it . . .
Riesling Chicken
- 5 slices bacon (thin sliced variety), 1/2 inch chop
- 2 Tbls butter
- 4 onions, large slices
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 cups Reisling wine
- 4 chicken thighs, bone in, with skin
- 2 bay leaves
- 3 pinches dried thyme
- garlic powder, to taste
- paprika, to taste
- salt and pepper, to taste
- Season chicken with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and paprika. If possible, let chicken thighs sit at room temperature with the seasoning for an hour.
- Preheat oven to 500°.
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Cut onions into large slices, mince garlic, chop bacon.
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Put chicken into an over-proof dish. Bake at 500° for 20 minutes.
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While the chicken is cooking, cook the chopped bacon in a Dutch oven until brown. Remove bacon to a plate with paper towel to drain.
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Allow pot to cool enough to pour off all except one tablespoon of bacon grease.
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Add butter, melt over medium high heat. Add onions. Cook for 5 minutes. Add garlic, thyme, bay leaves, and bacon. Cook for an additional 15 minutes.
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When chicken has finished cooking for 20 minutes in the oven, remove from oven and set to the side.
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Add Riesling wine to onions. Cook for 2 or 3 minutes. Taste. Then add salt and pepper to as you think appropriate.
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Once satisfied with your seasoning, nestle the chicken thighs into the onion mixture. Drop heat to low, and cover the pot. Cook on low for 60 minutes, turning the chicken twice during that time.
This recipe requires about 35 minutes of hands-on work, between prepping and cooking the onions. The chicken browns in the oven while you are cooking the onions. The remaining 60 minutes that the chicken cooks in the onions on the stovetop is nearly hands-off.
I used a 5 quart Dutch oven to cook the onion, wine, and chicken.
When you brown the chicken in the oven, be careful — the fat from the chicken will be EXTREMELY HOT. While I used a baking sheet, the next time I plan to use a casserole dish. I think it’s safer.
This time, I served the chicken with mashed potatoes — perfect combination.
While the cooking, I did pour a glass of the Riesling. It was, indeed, too sweet for my taste; however, this dish was phenomenal. I believe I’ll be wandering into the German aisle in my wine store more often.
