Crispy chicken skin combined with a peppery and creamy sauce. This dish can be paired with rice, pasta, bread or anything for that matter. the star of the show is the crispy, chip-like, skin for me. But the "au poivre" sauce makes it come all together.

Inspiration:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DUlKR0gjaX4, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jEYN3Ek9J44.

Ingredients

• 2 to 4 Bone-in, skin-on, chicken thighs and legs.
• 1 Small onion, finely chopped.
• 2 Cloves of garlic, finely chopped.
• 1 Bunch of chives (parsley, coriander or any other fresh herb works too).
• 1 Tbsp of whole black pepper corns.
• 1 Tbsp of pickled green pepper corns.
• 3 Tbsp of white miso paste.
• 3 Tbsp of white wine (or stock, or water).
• 1 Cup of chicken stock (or water if times are tough).
• 1/2 Cup of heavy cream (or sour cream, or creme fraiche).
• 3 Tbsp of unsalted butter.
• Olive oil, to sear the chicken.

Preparation

Chicken

1. Salt the chicken and put in the fridge for few hours. This is to draw out some moisture and get a crispier skin.
2. Pat down the chicken with paper towel, make sure the skin is extra dry.
3. Heat a cast iron pan (or any heavy pan) on medium-high heat. line the bottom with olive oil and wait until the oil barely start shimmering.
4. Preheat the oven at 400 F.
5. Put the chicken, skin side down, on the cast iron and put something heavy on it to press it (another cast iron, a burger press, a brick even...). The idea is to press the chicken to get maximum contact between the skin and the pan and render as much fat as possible. This is the secret to crispy skin.
6. Lower the heat to medium low and let the chicken cook and render its fat slowly. Don't touch it for the first 10 min! The chicken will stick to the pan at first but release once the skin is properly crisped. Wiggle it from time to time to see if the chicken released from the pan. If it's still stuck, leave it! It will release in time.
7. Cook the chicken for about 20 min total or until the skin is brown and crispy and the meat is not pink. Reserve the chicken (skin side up - to keep it crispy).

Sauce

8. Crush the black pepper with a mortar and pestle. Make sure it's not crushed too finely.
9. Put the pan on low, add the butter, a pinch of salt, the crushed black pepper, the green pepper corns, and the onion. Cook it until the onion softens. Once the onion is translucent, add the garlic and miso paste. Cook for a couple of minutes or until the garlic smells mellower.
10. Deglaze with the white wine (or water, or stock). Make sure to scrape all the bits from the bottom of the pan. This is where the flavor happens.
11. Add the stock (or water), taste, adjust for salt and put the chicken back in the pot, skin side up.
12. Put the pan in the oven. Braise the chicken for 10 minutes or until fully cooked. If the pan gets too dry, add more stock. If the chicken is undercooked, let it cook a little longer.
13. Remove the pan from the oven, reserve the chicken, add cream to the reduced sauce, add chopped parsley and mix well.
14. Put the chicken back in the pan for serving. Eat it with rice, or mashed potatoes, or bread... Anything works!