Spring Chicken Thighs with Spring Onions, Mint and Peas
Crisp-skinned chicken thighs with softly braised spring onions, peas and mint — a reliable, versatile spring dish.
Ingredients
- 8 small (or 4 large) skin-on chicken thighs, bone in or out
- salt
- olive oil
- 1 large bunch spring onions, finely sliced (or 3 fresh white onions, peeled and sliced)
- 100ml white wine
- 400g peas, fresh or frozen
- 1 small bunch mint, ripped
Instructions
- Sprinkle the chicken thighs with salt, rubbing it all over so it’s well distributed.
- Starting with a cold frying pan, rub the base lightly with oil, then lay in the thighs skin side down.
- Put the pan on medium-low heat — this helps the fat render gently for golden, crisp skin — and fry gently for 20-25 minutes for bone-in thighs, or 15-20 minutes for boneless, shaking the pan intermittently.
- Once the skin is golden brown and crisp, turn over the thighs and cook for a further 15 minutes for bone-in or 8 minutes for boneless, until cooked through.
- Lift the thighs onto a warm plate and keep in a warm spot.
- Pour the fat from the pan into a bowl, leaving any meaty residue behind in the pan. Return 3 tbsp of the fat to the pan, stir in the onions and move them about briskly for a minute or two.
- Add the wine, let it bubble, then stir so any meaty residue eases from the base of the pan — the onions will turn slightly brown.
- Simmer for 5 minutes, add the peas and make sure there is enough liquid that the pan is steamy (add a little more if not). Cover and cook the peas for 8-12 minutes until tender but with a bit of pop.
- Stir in the mint leaves, then return the chicken thighs skin side up to the pan and simmer for a couple of minutes more. Taste for salt.
- Serve directly from the pan, or transfer to a warm serving dish.