Bacon Jam Roasted Chicken and Vegetables
Bone-in chicken thighs with bacon jam spread into the skin pocket, roasted over yukon golds and brussels sprouts so the vegetables cook in what renders out. The potatoes get a head start; the sprouts go in with the chicken.
Ingredients
Bacon Jam (makes about 1 1/4 cups)
- 12 ounces thick-cut bacon chopped
- 2 medium yellow onions halved and sliced thin
- 3 cloves garlic sliced
- 1/3 cup packed dark brown sugar
- 1/2 cup brewed coffee
- 3 tablespoons cider vinegar
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
The Chicken and Vegetables
- 1 1/2 pounds yukon gold potatoes cut into 1 1/4-inch chunks
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil divided
- 1 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt divided
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper divided
- 1 1/2 pounds brussels sprouts trimmed and halved, not quartered
- 4 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs about 2 pounds
- 1/2 cup bacon jam from the group above, or store-bought
To Finish
- 2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley
- 1 lemon cut into wedges
Instructions
Make the Bacon Jam
- Cook the chopped bacon in a wide skillet over medium heat until the fat has rendered and the pieces are crisp at the edges, 12 to 15 minutes. Lift the bacon out with a slotted spoon and pour off all but about 2 tablespoons of the fat.
- Add the onions and garlic and cook gently, stirring often, until soft, sweet and deep gold, 20 to 25 minutes. Return the bacon with the brown sugar, coffee, vinegar and pepper and simmer until a spoon dragged across the pan leaves a track, 10 to 15 minutes. Cool, then pulse briefly in a food processor so it is smooth enough to spread. Skip this group entirely if you are using a store-bought jam.
Give the Potatoes a Head Start
- Heat the oven to 425F. Toss the potato chunks with 1 tablespoon of the oil, 1/2 teaspoon of the salt and 1/4 teaspoon of the pepper in a roasting pan wide enough to hold everything in a single layer, and roast for 15 minutes on their own.
- While they roast, season the thighs on both sides with the remaining 3/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.
Fill the Skin
- Slide a finger under the skin at the wide end of each thigh to loosen it, leaving it attached along the other edges, and push 1 tablespoon of bacon jam into the pocket toward the middle. Spread a second tablespoon over the underside of each thigh.
Roast and Rest
- Toss the halved sprouts with the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil, stir them through the part-roasted potatoes, and set the thighs skin side up on top. Roast 35 to 40 minutes, stirring the vegetables once at the halfway mark, until the thickest part of a thigh reads 175F away from the bone and the skin is tight and deep brown.
- Rest the chicken 5 minutes on a plate under loose foil while the vegetables sit in the switched-off oven. Scatter the parsley over everything and serve with the lemon wedges.
Notes
Bacon jam: the first group makes about 1 1/4 cups and you need 1/2 cup. Use a store-bought jar instead if you prefer; nothing else changes.
Half a cup on four thighs, not the cup this recipe used to call for. More than 2 tablespoons a thigh makes the pan sticky and the dish cloying.
Loosen the skin with a finger at the wide end only. A knife tears it and the pocket leaks.
Thighs are pulled at 175F rather than the 165F safety minimum, because thigh connective tissue only softens above about 170F.
The potatoes roast 15 minutes alone. Added at the same time as the halved sprouts they stay firm in the middle, and quartered sprouts given the full time turn bitter.
Make-ahead: tuck the jam under the skin a day early and rest the thighs uncovered in the refrigerator, which dries the skin and crisps it better.
Storage: 3 days refrigerated. Reheat at 375F for 12 to 15 minutes.
Nutrition values are an estimate.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 645kcal | Carbohydrates: 52g | Protein: 30g | Fat: 34g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 6g | Monounsaturated Fat: 14g | Cholesterol: 120mg | Sodium: 910mg | Potassium: 1300mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 14g | Vitamin A: 900IU | Vitamin C: 95mg | Calcium: 90mg | Iron: 4mg