Honey Mustard Chicken Thighs with Tarragon

This simple, delicious chicken dinner was adapted from The Washington Post Cookbook, which was released a few months ago. The original recipe called for honey mustard, which I didn't have, but I did have honey and mustard, so I figured I could approximate something similar using those ingredients plus some additional white wine vinegar. I also added tarragon, a wonderful summertime herb. I served the dish with a slice of crusty white bread and a simple salad of lettuce dressed with a garlicky lemon vinaigrette (below).

Honey Mustard Chicken Thighs with Tarragon
Adapted from Honey Mustard Chicken Thighs, The Washington Post Cookbook

1/4 cup honey
2 tbsp. Dijon mustard
1 tsbp. white wine vinegar
1/2 cup dry white wine (I used L'Ecole No. 41 2011 Semillon)
1 tsp. dried thyme
2 pinches of salt
Fresh ground black pepper, to taste
3 tbsp. chopped fresh tarragon
2 lbs. boneless skinless chicken thighs

1. Preheat oven to 450 F with oven rack in middle position.

2. Add honey, mustard, vinegar, wine, thyme, salt, peper and tarragon to a small bowl. Whisk together with a fork until combined to form the marinade.

3. Place chicken thighs in a large (gallon size) resealable plastic bag. Pour marinade ingredients into bag. Seal the bag, pressing to remove excess air, shake a bit and turn over to coat chicken evenly. Marinade at room temperature for 30 minutes or in the refrigerator for several hours.

4. Pour chicken and marinade into a 9 X 13 baking dish. Bake until chicken reaches an internal temperature of 160 to 165 F, about 20-30 minutes. Baste the thighs about halfway through. For the last 5 minutes, turn on the broiler to brown the tops of the thighs. Serve chicken thighs with some crusty bread and dressed greens (I suggest pouring a little of the cooked marinade into a dish to sop up with the bread).

Lettuce with Garlicky Lemon Dressing

Serves 2

2 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
2 anchovy fillets, rinsed and roughly chopped
Pinch of salt
1 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
1 tbsp. Lillet Blanc (may substitute a sweet white wine or white wine vinegar and a tsp. of honey)
Fresh ground black pepper, to taste
3 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
2 tsp. capers, drained
8-10 romaine lettuce leaves, torn
Grated pecorino romano cheese, to taste

In a small bowl or 1-cup glass measuring cup, grind together the garlic cloves and anchovies with a pinch of salt until they form a paste using the back of a spoon or a cocktail muddler (if you have them, use a mortar and pestle). Add lemon juice, Lillet Blanc, pepper and stir to combine. Whisk in the olive oil. Combine caper and lettuce in a large salad bowl. Toss with vinaigrette and top with grated cheese.