SWEET CHILI CHICKEN THIGHS

Makes 4 servings

I had my favorite kind of problem with this recipe — I couldn’t decide

whether to make it with chicken or pork, since it was so good with both. The

dish is a simple sauté-then-braise affair and the sauce is a simple chili and

soy mixture. Together, they make something so good and so versatile that

the only right thing to do is to pull the recipe out regularly.

Whether made with chicken or pork (see recipe for the tenderloin

version), the dish is weeknight-easy, but it’s also the kind of recipe that you

could happily serve for a party — double it, if you’d like, and make a pile of

rice to keep it company. It’s not fancy; it’s just what everyone wants.

2 tablespoons canola or other neutral oil, or as needed

1 medium onion, finely chopped, rinsed and patted dry

1½ to 3 teaspoons minced peeled fresh ginger

2 garlic cloves, germ removed (see sidebar) and minced

Fine sea salt

¼ cup (60 ml) white wine

8 chicken thighs, with or without skin and/or bones, patted dry

Freshly ground pepper

½ cup (120 ml) (see Thai sweet chili sauce)

⅓ cup (80 ml) soy sauce

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard (preferably French)

1 to 1½ teaspoons Sriracha (to taste)

Sliced scallions and crushed red pepper flakes, for serving (optional)

Warm 1 tablespoon of the oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the

onion, ginger and garlic, season lightly with salt and cook, stirring, until they

soften a bit and are translucent but not browned, about 5 minutes.

Add the white wine, increase the heat and cook, stirring, until most of the

wine evaporates, about 2 minutes. Again, don’t color the onions and friends.

Transfer the ingredients to a bowl.

Return the pot to medium heat and add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil.

Place the thighs in the pot and brown on all sides, adding more oil if

necessary. (If the thighs will be crowded, do them in two batches.) Pour off

and discard the oil. If you’ve got burned bits stuck on the bottom of the pot,

remove the chicken and scrub the pot, then return the chicken to it. Return

the onion mixture to the pot, along with any juices that accumulated, add

the chili sauce, soy sauce, mustard and Sriracha and stir to blend. Season

lightly with salt and pepper and clap the lid on the pot.

Turn the heat down to low and cook the chicken, basting occasionally, for

30 minutes, or until it is opaque in the center; an instant-read thermometer

inserted into the thickest part of a thigh should register 165 degrees F.

Transfer the chicken to a serving platter (or don’t — serving from the pot

is just fine) and spoon over some of the sauce. Sprinkle with scallions and

pepper flakes, if you’d like. Pass the rest of the sauce at the table.

S TO R I N G : Leftovers can be kept in a tightly covered container in the fridge

for up to 3 days.

SWEET CHILI PORK TENDERLOIN

For 6 servings, use 2 pork tenderloins (each about 1½ pounds/567 grams);

pat them dry. Brown them as above and then cook over low heat as above for

35 to 40 minutes, until the meat measures 145 degrees F at its thickest part.

With pork, it’s always best to test by temperature rather than color — the

meat may or may not still be rosy when it reaches the right temperature.

When the tenderloins are cooked, transfer them to a cutting board and let

them rest for 5 minutes before slicing and serving with the sauce.