Good enough of a supper experiment to get its own post! These chicken thighs and brussels sprouts are delicious and quick. So good that I’ve not had a chance to take photos either time I’ve made the recipe.  I’ll update when I can. lol 

As usual with my recipes, these are just guidelines. Swap out anything you don’t like and try new ingredients. As Coart says, “Just get good food and get it hot.” 

I’ve enjoyed having tube or squeeze bottle paste of garlic and of ginger in my frig. I’ve been adding it to nearly anything – the ginger adds an open fresh flavor, the garlic brings so much yum.  It’s faster than mincing fresh on a busy weeknight.

Ingredients

• chicken thighs: 1 or 2 per person (how hungry are ya?).  I use skin-on, bone-in thighs because crispy chicken skin is delicious. You do you.
• fresh brussels sprouts, ends trimmed and anything larger than a marble cut in half
• sriracha (this one is fancy or get the basic one at the store)
• honey (not the expensive one)
• garlic paste (I like the ones in a tube, but squeeze bottles are common now in the produce section of stores). If you hate the idea of garlic in a tube, smash some on your cutting board and grind it into a paste. Be fancy, whatever. 
• ginger paste (ditto to the squeeze bottle – again, check the refrigerated section of your produce market, near the spices)
• olive oil
• a pinch or two of kosher salt
• dry herbs are nice on this dish.  I use California Seasoning from Spice & Tea Exchange. But thyme or oregano would be nice too
• a splash of a good vinegar, like sherry vinegar, rice wine, red wine vinegar, even apple cider vinegar if that’s all you got on hand
• Optional: A couple cloves of garlic. Peel ’em if you want, or don’t.
• if you have it on hand: rendered bacon fat*

*Real talk: If you buy excellent bacon (our favorite is Trader Joe’s applewood smoked bacon), then you should save the rendered fat whenever you cook up a skillet of bacon and have clean fat left over.  I use this ceramic strainer & jar to hold mine, and it’s on the counter next to the stove at all times. Bacon fat brings EVERYTHING to the flavor party, and just a teaspoon in the skillet (combined with olive oil or butter if I need more fat in the pan) will be the perfect start to many meals.

Tools: This is best in a cast iron skillet, IMHO, but any roasting setup will do.  A rimmed baking sheet (lay down some foil) will work great as well, but you’ll have to start the chicken in a skillet first.

How to prepare

1. Prep the chicken —  bring it to room temperature (if you have time; don’t worry if you don’t).  Pat it dry if you’re feeling extra. If it’s Tuesday and you can’t even, just get it out of the frig and keep rolling…..
2. Preheat the oven to 375.  Get a burner going under a cast-iron skillet, a little below medium.
3. Put some oil in the pan – as I explained above, I go with a tsp of bacon fat & then a bit of olive oil if needed — and gt it hot, then lay in the chicken skin-side down (if there’s skin), or just put it in there if not.  Lightly salt the chicken.  Leave it till it browns (but don’t let the skin burn.)  About 5min, flip the chicken over and brown the other side. You’re not trying to cook it through, just get some good browning going.
4. Meanwhile, trim the brussels sprouts and throw them in the pan, round the edges, cut side down, as you go. The early ones will get extra brown and that’s cool.
5. Mix up the glaze:  I didn’t list measurements because it depends on how hot you want it, how sweet you like it, etc.
   Let’s say start with almost equal parts honey & sriracha, then not quite as much (each) of the garlic paste and ginger paste, and a splash of olive oil + a splash of a good vinegar. Stir it up and add a pinch of salt and maybe some fresh cracked pepper.
6. Once you’ve flipped over the chicken and the skin is a little browned, you’re ready to glaze the chicken and get  it ready for roasting.  Here’s what I do:  flip the chicken back over onto the non-skin side and spoon some glaze onto that side, smooth it around. Flip chicken over so skin is up, loosen the skin from the meat, and put a big spoon of glaze into that pocket, spread it around.  Then top the chicken with a bit of what’s left (you don’t have to use it all, be smart).
   (If you must transfer to a different pan for roasting, do that here.)
7. Roasting: Stir the brussels sprouts if they’re already starting to stick and lightly salt them, then sprinkle a bit of dry herbs over the skillet. As noted, i use California Seasoning, but oregano would be great, whatever you like.  Slide the garlic cloves in amidst the chicken, and put the skillet or pan into the oven to roast.
8. Bake for at least 20 minutes, and check to see if the chicken is done. Small thighs will take 20-30min, really big pieces of chicken or a lot of chicken  might need up to 40, but overall chicken doesn’t take long so keep an eye on it.  You want the juices to run clear; cut into a piece and check.  The sprouts likewise should be deep brown and caramelized, and soft.

I like to let the skillet sit out of the oven for about 5min before serving – loosely cover it with foil if you want. A cast iron skillet will keep the brussels sprouts hot.  If you’re not using cast iron, maybe skip this.

AND EAT IT — SO GOOD!

Side ideas

• a crunchy salad is always welcome
• sliced fresh tomatoes if they’re truly in season, topped with a wee bit of balsamic vinegar & olive oil
• roast some broccoli along with the brussels sprouts, especially if you’re doing a big sheet-pan dinner here

This is the pie you need to make to celebrate the arrival of FALL! 

Don’t get too particular about the measurements  – if you use a store-bought crust, then the rest can be estimated as I’ve noted below.   The base recipe was something I found on Google at the Betty Crocker site, but I quickly diverged from those directions to this. 😉

Why I love this pie:

• The cranberries and walnuts keep it from getting too candy-sweet, as apple pie can be. I can’t speak to how this pie would turn out if you left out both. I think you could safely omit one of them and end up with a balanced product, if you don’t have cranberries or nuts on hand.
• The honey brings more than just “sweet” to the party. I used a local wildflower honey, and there are light notes of that in every bite. If you have access to a high-quality flavored honey like tupelo or orange blossom, use it to glaze the crust at the end. Regular (read: cheaper) honey is fine for the filling.  Save your expensive stuff.
• Walnuts add a nice crunch to the filling — I like that, rather than just mush. You could easily use almonds or pecans or any other nut you love if that’s not walnuts.
• Don’t skip toasting the walnuts. Throw them into the oven for a couple minutes while it’s preheating. But keep an eye on them! They burn easily!
• I’m a fan of Pillsbury rolled-up pie crusts. I haven’t made a pie crust, aside from a special pecan pie recipe I make a couple times a decade, since the early 2000s. If you have a favorite homemade recipe, I’m sure it’ll work just fine here.
• My pie didn’t ooze all over the oven – a plus! But it was mounded quite high when I put it in the oven, so I placed it on a wide piece of foil on a cookie sheet to catch any drips.

Lori’s Honey-Apple Pie with Walnuts and Cranberries

1 package of 2 pie crusts. I use the rolled-up ones by Pillsbury. If you want to do a crumb-oatmeal topping instead, go for it.

5 medium to large apples of any flavorful variety. We’d just hit the local farmer’s market, so I had Jonagolds, Arkansas Black, Fuji, and another type I forgot.

a couple handfuls of chopped walnuts, like 1/3 cup. Toast them in the oven for a few minutes on the cookie sheet you’ll put under the pie later, as the oven pre-heats

a couple handfuls of fresh cranberries, rinsed. You could probably use frozen whole cranberries. I don’t think they’d need to be thawed

about 1/3 cup honey, divided. You’ll need 4-5 T for the pie filling and a couple more teaspoons at the end

a few T flour

a large dose of cinnamon – probably 1 T

about 1 tsp of salt

1 T cold butter cut into pieces

PIE DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees with a rack on the bottom notches.
2. Peel the apples and chop into quarters. Trim any remaining skin from the ends and take out the seed core. Chop into big 1.5in chunks and toss in a large bowl.
3. Add 1-2 T flour (I used 2-3 spoons), 1 T cinnamon (be generous!), any other spices you like on apples, and 1 tsp of table salt to the bowl and toss with two forks till the flour and spices are coating the apples pretty evenly.
   I didn’t add lemon juice because these apples were really juicy already and I didn’t care about browning. I’m sure it wouldn’t hurt tho.
4. Using a big tablespoon, drizzle 4-5 T of honey into the bowl and toss into the apples in a couple batches. Don’t worry too much, just try to distribute the honey. Lick the spoon.
5. Put the bottom pie crust into your dish, pushing into the edges and leaving the overhang. I did a 9″ pie plate (Pampered Chef stoneware) but you could add another apple and do a 10″ pie, no problem.
6. Scatter the cranberries across the bottom of the pie plate.
7. Spoon half the apples into the crust.  Add the walnuts in an even layer.  Pour in the rest of the apples, mounding high in the center.  (Seriously, this was a TALL pie.)
8. Chop 1 T of butter into little bits and scatter around the top of the apples before placing the top crust.
9. Wet the edge of the bottom crust with your moistened fingers (water, duh).  Then lay the top crust onto the pie. Press the edges closed, pinch all the way around, then turn the edges under and flute.   Cut slits on top.
10. Bake at 450 for 30 min, then cover the edges with a metal ring or foil and lower the heat to 325 degrees. Bake another hour.  It’s a pie, you can’t overbake it unless you scortch the edges. Go for nice golden brown on top. Pull the pie from the oven when it’s bubbly through the slits and the top crust is thoroughly cooked.
11. Once out of the oven, use a teaspoon to drizzle 1-2 tsp of honey over the top crust and smooth it out using the back of the spoon. The hot pie will liquefy the honey and make this job a little easier.
12. Let the pie cool for several hours on a wire rack.  The filling will settle and the top crust might stay tall. That’s fine. You now have a pocket for ice cream! 😉

Seriously, y’all.  We thought this was delish!   The interior filling is dark and aromatic without being too sweet. I’ll definitely make again.

Update, 10/30: I’m surprised by how well this pie holds together. Here’s the piece I had for breakfast this morning. Perfect pie shape. Flavors have melded well. Light honey sweetness accents the savory walnuts and tangy cranberries. Definitely will bake another of these for Thanksgiving.