Happy July 4! I hope you’re enjoying the holiday with some good eats.
This recipe showed up the same day I got my rhubarb so I figured it was meant to be! Not that there was anything wrong with the scones or crisp I had made with the rhubarb before, but I was intrigued by the use of rhubarb in a savory dish.
And… well, it’s hard to beat a scone. Let me take you through the recipe below
Rhubarb has got to be one of the prettiest veggies! I started by cutting it into a rough dice while the chicken was browning. 
Take out the chicken, deglaze with some white wine, then cook down the rhubarb.
The chicken goes back in to simmer in the sauce for about 20-30 minutes.
The final product is below. 
An important note: the rhubarb sauce is not the most attractive thing you’ve ever seen. It resembles something along the lines of slop for hogs or homemade baby food (or lots of more disgusting comparisons I will not post on the same page as picture of food). Honestly, I thought I had done something terribly wrong until I went back and checked the video that accompanied the original recipe. Lo and behold, it showed the same pinkish goo as my sauce, just served under the chicken, not on top.
Skillet Chicken With Rhubarb, via Melissa Clark/The New York Times
- 1 (5 1/2-pound) whole chicken, cut into eight pieces
- 1 tablespoon plus 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, more as needed
- 1 teaspoon black pepper, more as needed
- 5 sprigs thyme, preferably lemon thyme
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 bunch spring onions or scallions, white and light green stalks thinly sliced (slice and reserve greens for garnish)
- 2 stalks green garlic, thinly sliced, or 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/2 cup dry white wine
- 3/4 pound fresh rhubarb, cut into 1/2-inch dice (3 cups)
- 1 tablespoon honey, or to taste
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces
- 1. Pat chicken dry and season with 1 tablespoon salt and 1 teaspoon pepper. Place in a bowl with the thyme sprigs and cover with plastic wrap; refrigerate at least 1 hour or overnight.
- 2. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Remove thyme from bowl with chicken, reserving thyme. Add chicken pieces to skillet and sear, turning occasionally, until golden brown all over, about 10 minutes. Transfer pieces to a platter.
- 3. Reduce heat to medium. Stir in onion (white and light green parts) and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and reserved thyme; cook 1 minute more. Stir in wine and bring to a simmer, scraping up any browned bits in the bottom of pan. Add rhubarb, honey, 1/2 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper.
- 4. Return chicken pieces to pot in a single layer. Cover and reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer until chicken is cooked through, 15 to 20 minutes for breasts and 20 to 25 minutes for legs and thighs, transferring chicken pieces to a platter as they finish cooking.
- 5. Whisk butter into rhubarb sauce. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary. Spoon sauce over chicken and garnish with sliced onion greens.
Final verdict? The chicken is moist, the sauce is really flavorful, with a tangy bite that’s unlike anything I’ve ever tried. I would have rinsed the chicken to cut down on some of the salt. And ultimately, I cannot get over the nasty look of that sauce. It is so unappetizing looking, I could not imagine serving it to company!
CSA in the Suburbs 
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