savory olive onion chicken

Sometimes the elementally simple is most enjoyable way to cook--I wanted to share a recipe for an onion-olive chicken dish from last night, one that had unexpected depth of flavor coaxed from basic Mediterranean ingredients.

In our kitchen, chicken thighs are the canvas for dishes of all kinds. In this recipe, their rich flavor and texture alchemizes so well with the classic tastes of olive oil, garlic, and olives...

Savory Chicken Thighs with Onions and Olives

4 chicken thighs, preferably free range

2 large yellow onions (and I do mean large), cut in half then chopped in medium pieces

6 garlic cloves, roughly chopped

one cup (or more) high quality olives...your favorites, pitted

and sliced

a fresh bright sheaf of Italian parsley, washed

Heat a generous amount of olive oil in a large skillet, as it warms, add a sliver of butter. If it melts and sizzles, toss in your onion pieces. Caramelized onions are the backbone of this dish, so cook them with care to coax out their sugary golden potential. As they start to color, add garlic.

After a few minutes of cooking, push the onion/garlic to one side of the pan and add chicken thighs, season with salt, fresh ground pepper (and if you like, a dash of cardamom) and brown them on both sides to a deep bronzy tone. Patiently.

Add sliced olives to the pan...

Combine the chicken/onion/garlic and snip parsley over (using kitchen shears), cook another minute or so and serve...goes nicely with buttered gnocchi!