Crispy Chicken Thighs with Black Garlic Sauce
Crispy chicken thighs are paired with a black garlic cream sauce that’s sweet, savory, and surprisingly simple to make. This dish delivers bold, elevated flavor with techniques easy enough to pull off on a busy weeknight.
Print Recipe
Equipment
- Immersion Blender or Blender
Ingredients
- 6 chicken thighs
- 1 tablespoon avocado oil
- 2-3 cloves black garlic
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne
- 1/2 black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
Instructions
Crispy Chicken Thighs
- Preheat the oven to 400°F and a stainless steel skillet to medium high heat
- Pat 6 chicken thighs dry and season both sides with salt to taste. Skip this step if you dry brine first.
- Add 1 tablespoon avocado oil to the skillet. Put the chicken thighs skin side down into the hot skillet to brown the skin and render a bit of fat. Brown for 5 minutes. They need to be a light yellow. They’ll crisp more in the oven.
- Remove the thighs and put on a baking sheet with 3 inches of space around them so they crisp and not steam.
- Sprinkle with garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne, and black pepper to taste.
- Bake for 35-45 minutes until the internal temperature of the thighs are 175°-185°F. Let it rest for five minutes.
Black Garlic Sauce
- Pour the 2 cups heavy cream into the skillet to warm it up
- Once the cream is warm, add it back to the measuring cup and use an immersion blender to blend the heavy cream with 2-3 cloves black garlic, roughly chopped. Blending keeps the black garlic’s flavor intact, while sautéing can mute its sweetness or make it bitter
- Pour back into the skillet and season with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and cayenne to taste and let warm. Reduce at a simmer until the sauce lightly coats the back of a spoon, about 15 minutes.
- Stir in 1 tablespoon lemon juice into the sauce, right before serving, to balance it. Taste to check that the seasoning is balanced.
- Plate your chicken and sides and add the sauce right before you’re about to eat.
Notes
The typical temp for doneness in chicken is 165°F. Chicken thighs have more connective tissue and collagen. Cooking to a higher heat allows that to break down for a tender piece of meat.
Don’t blend the heavy cream cold. You’ll have black garlic whipped cream. We just want to blend enough to turn the cream brown. If you whip it for too long and it starts to become whipped cream, don’t worry. Just put it back in the heat and it will melt.
Don’t put the black garlic sauce on until you’re ready to eat because the skin will lose crispiness. Alternatively you can put it on the side and dip your chicken in it so the skin stays crisp.
Nutrition
Calories: 541kcal | Carbohydrates: 3g | Protein: 21g | Fat: 50g | Saturated Fat: 24g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 17g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 200mg | Sodium: 884mg | Potassium: 319mg | Fiber: 0.1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 1324IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 63mg | Iron: 1mg
Servings: 6 people
Calories: 541kcal