Chicken Thighs with Apple Cider Stewed Squash and Cabbage
 
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
 
Recipe type: Entree
Serves: 6
Ingredients
  • 1 Tbsp bacon fat (adds flavor but use all canola oil if you prefer)
  • 1 Tbsp canola
  • 6 chicken thighs
  • 1 medium onion, sliced and slices cut in quarters
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 1 medium to large butternut squash
  • ½ large head of cabbage
  • 1 apple
  • ½ cup rice flour (or sweet rice flour)
  • 1 tsp salt
  • generous grind of black pepper
  • ½ cup dry white wine
  • ½ cup chicken stock
  • ½ cup apple cider
  • 1 stalk fresh lemon grass
  • 1 whole star anise
  • ¼ tsp cinnamon
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
  2. Remove skin from chicken thighs and trim of as much fat as possible.
  3. Peel butternut squash, cut off ends, cut in half top to bottom, scoop out seeds and cut into roughly 1-inch cubes.
  4. Remove outer leaves of cabbage, cut out core and chop into 1 – 2 inch chunks.
  5. Combine rice flour, salt and pepper in a shallow bowl.
  6. Heat the bacon fat and oil over medium high heat in a Dutch oven.
  7. Dredge chicken pieces in flour mixture, shake off excess and place pieces in hot oil.
  8. Cook about 1 – 2 minutes until browned, then flip and brown on the other side.
  9. Remove chicken to a plate.
  10. Add onions to pan and sauté a few minutes until just starting to brown.
  11. Add cabbage to pan and cook stirring 1 minute.
  12. Add garlic to pan and stir until aroma comes.
  13. Add wine and simmer, scraping bottom with a wooden spatula until reduced by about half.
  14. Add cider and stock to pan.
  15. Stir in star anise and cinnamon.
  16. Cut ends off lemon grass and remove outer layer if loose. Cut into 3 inch lengths and tap on pieces with the back of a knife to bruise. Add to liquid in pot.
  17. Add squash cubes to pot and stir in. Make sure onion, star anise and lemon grass stay in liquid at bottom of pot.
  18. Place chicken thighs, meaty side up on top of squash/cabbage mixture.
  19. Place pot in oven and bake 35 minutes.
  20. Chop apple into 1-inch pieces. Add into pot below chicken and bake an additional 10 minutes.
  21. Serve chicken in shallow bowls with some vegetables and broth.
Recipe by Savory Nature at http://savorynature.com/2014/01/02/chicken-thighs-apple-cider-stewed-squash-cabbage/