Almost Thanksgiving, Dinner

In an effort to quickly make my grocery list, I grabbed Food Network Magazine while running out my door. (Go Figure!) While sitting shot gun on my way to the store, I picked out a few delicious-sounding recipes. The first of which I was very excited to make because I couldn't begin to put my finger on how it would taste. To my surprise, FN's Honey-Mustard Chicken with Apples totally hit the spot! (Mustard and apples cooked together sounds weird, right? Well the recipe calls for onions too, and they all blend amazingly together!)

After baking, the apples almost melt in with the chicken and onions. I couldn't serve the dish without some sort of starch so I whipped up my favorite mashed potoates, and together with the apple/onion mixture, it was like Thanksgiving on a plate! Seriously, every bite was a burst of flavor in your mouth. I couldn't get enough!


Recipe:
8 skin-on, bone-in chicken thighs (2 to 2.5 pounds)
Salt and ground pepper
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 large onion, cut into large chunks
2 cooking apples (such as Cortland), cut into chunks
1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
2 to 3 tbsp honey mustard
1.5 tsp unsalted butter, softened
1 tbsp all-purpose flour
1 to 2 tbsp roughly chopped fresh parsley

1) Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Heat the olive oil in a large ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Working in batches if necessary, add the chicken, skin-side down, and cook until golden, about 6 minutes. Flip and cook 2 to 3 more minutes, then transfer to a plate. Pour off all but 2 tbsp of the drippings.
2) Add the onion and apples to the skillet and season with salt and pepper. Cook until slightly softened, about 4 minutes. Mix the broth with the mustard, then add to the skillet and bring to a boil. Arrange the chicken, skin-side up, in the skillet. Transfer to the oven and roast until the chicken is cooked through, 15 to 20 minutes.
3) Mix the butter and flour to form a paste. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the chicken, apples and onion to plates. Bring the pan juices to a simmer, whisk in about half of the butter/flour mixture and boil to thicken, 2 minutes. Continue to cook, adding more of the butter/flour mixture as needed to make a slightly thick gravy. Season with salt and pepper. Pour over the chicken and sprinkle with parsley.