Gin and Sage Chicken
We have cooked with wine before, but never with gin. This very soft and buttery sauce is drizzled around crispy chicken rather than on top of it. Meyer lemons are sweeter; if that can be said of a lemon.
Gin and Sage Chicken
Chicken sautés on the skin side until almost cooked through for a crispy, dark amber, juniper infused meal. Use skin on chicken thighs or breasts.
Ingredients
- 4 skin on chicken breasts or thighs
- Salt and pepper
- 2 TBSP olive oil
- 2 TBSP butter, divided
- 16 Sage leaves, divided
- 2 garlic cloves, smashed and peeled
- ¼ cup gin
- ¾ cup chicken stock
- 2 TBSP Meyer lemon juice + wedges
Instructions
- Lightly salt and pepper both sides of chicken pieces.
- Heat olive oil and 1 TBSP butter in a large metal skillet over medium heat.
- Place 8 large sage leaves in the skillet and fry until crisp, (about 3 – 4 minutes). Remove with tongs and place on a paper towel.
- Add chicken skin side down to the skillet and saute for 20 minutes. The skin will turn an amber color, you don’t however, want the meat to burn so reduce heat to medium low if need be.
- Add remaining sage leaves and smashed garlic to the skillet. Let cook until sage leaves crisp and garlic is golden.
- Remove sage and garlic from the pan and set aside with the other cooked sage leaves.
- Flip chicken and let sauté for another 15 minutes.
- Depending on the size and cut of chicken pieces, the chicken may be close to cooked through. If not, flip back to the skin side and sauté another 5 – 10 minutes.
- Turn off the heat and transfer chicken to a platter. Do not cover or the skin will become soft.
- After the pan juices have rested 4 – 5 minutes, turn heat back on and add the gin to the skillet. Stir, scraping up any brown bits and reduce for 2 – 3 minutes.
- Add the chicken stock and caramelized smashed garlic to the skillet. Simmer until sauce is reduced by half. There should be about ½ cup.
- Add Meyer lemon juice and Swirl butter into the pan. Adjust seasonings.
- Place rice on a serving platter. Add 8 large sage leaves and top with chicken and remaining sage leaves.
- Drizzle a bit of sauce on the surrounding rice and serve the remainder on the side.
Notes
Because this dish is velvety soft and buttery, a Chardonnay pairs beautifully. We also loved a soft red wine from Italy.
We’ve paired:
- Torre Zambra Montepulciano Colle Maggio ($40.00)
- Louis Jabot Macon-Lugny Chardonnay ($43.00)
- Domaine Lafage Novellum Chardonnay