Spicy Chicken Thighs with White Wine Mushroom Pan Sauce and Balsamic Glazed Brussels Sprouts

So I was at Aldi last week and I happened upon, get this, 8 pounds of chicken thighs for less than $5.

Ponder that for a second.

I do a thing where I save my big grocery hauls (especially when it’s time to restock the freezer) for a day or two before the week’s circular is over. That way, all of the meat that was on sale that’s about to expire is super discounted! Sounds kinda gross but I’m freezing it all anyways and I’m all about saving that cash MONEY.

So, I was left with a plethora of chicken thighs and not a clue what to do with them. I actually kept myself awake at night thinking about it. I checked my fridge and noticed I had some mushrooms and brussels sprouts that I needed to use and balsamic glaze that I had made a few days before that was starting to make my fridge smell funny. So, with that, this meal was born.

Let’s get to it, shall we? I suggest prepping the brussels sprouts and putting them in the oven first, then prepping all of your ingredients for the chicken and sauce—this meal comes together pretty fast!

Ingredients:

Chicken and sauce:

· 4 boneless, skinless chicken thighs

· 1 small to medium Vidalia onion, finely diced

· 1.5 cups mushrooms, chopped into ½ inch pieces (I used white because I’m cheap, but cremini mushrooms are delicious and would probably work really well)

· 4 cloves garlic

· 1 cup dry white wine

· 2-3 tbsp. flour

· 2 cups chicken broth

· Olive oil

· 1 tbsp. butter

· 1 tbsp. lemon juice (juice from half a lemon)

· Salt

· Pepper

· Cayenne pepper

Instructions:

· Heat 3-4 tbsp. olive oil in a large pan (enough to just barely coat the bottom of the pan) on medium-high heat

· Cut off all visible fat and season chicken with salt, pepper, and cayenne (a little cayenne goes a long way!)

· Place the chicken in the pan and cook ~6 minutes each side, or until chicken is cooked all the way through. Don’t move it around too much so you get a nice lil crust!

· Once cooked, remove chicken from pan and place on paper towels on a plate to drain excess fat.

· Reduce heat to medium. Add 1 tbsp. of butter and 1 more tbsp. olive oil to the pan

· Add finely diced onion and cook until translucent

· Add your mushrooms to the party. Season them with salt and pepper to taste. Cook for ~7 minutes, or until they get to your desired level of mushroom cooked-ness. I like mine pretty caramelized.

· Add chopped garlic. Cook for a minute or two. Stir frequently.

· Add 2 tbsp. flour, possibly more. Make sure it coats all of your mushrooms and onions and garlic!

· Add 1 cup dry white wine. Take a sip. You deserve it. Wait until the wine comes to a simmer and reduces (circa 2 minutes) STIR

· Add 1 tbsp. of lemon juice (juice from half of a lemon) for some delicious acidity

· Add 2 cups chicken broth and keep on stirring! Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer. The sauce should start to thicken. Once it gets to your desired thickness, remove from heat. Add salt and pepper to taste and serve with chicken and brussels!

Brussels Sprouts + balsamic glaze

· 1 cup balsamic vinegar

· 1 pound brussells sprouts

· Olive oil

· Red pepper flakes

· Salt

· Pepper

Instructions:

· Making your own glaze:

o Put 1 cup of balsamic vinegar on medium heat. Bring to a boil then reduce to low-simmer. Continue cooking until the liquid has reduced by half, about 15 minutes.

· Preheat oven to 425

· Cut brussels sprouts into halves or quarters, put into large bowl

· Toss sprouts with 2 tbsp. olive oil and 1 tbsp. balsamic glaze and place on baking sheet. Season with salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes to taste

· Cook for 25-30 minutes or until they just start to get brown on top

· Drizzle with balsamic glaze