Photography by Kevin Roberts
Ingredients
8 skin-on chicken thighs
1/3 cup dry vermouth
3 shallots, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon fresh thyme
Picholine olives, halved
Directions
Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees. Let the chicken sit at room temperature in the meantime.
Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large ovenproof skillet or pan over medium-high heat. Season the chicken with salt. Sear the thighs skin side–down until they’re nicely browned, about 5 minutes. Then turn the pieces skin side–up. Season with black pepper to taste. Sauté for another few minutes and transfer the chicken to a plate. Pour off all but a tablespoon of liquid from the skillet. Add 1/3 cup of vermouth and 2/3 cup of water and bring to a simmer, scraping up the brown bits. Add the sliced shallots and simmer until the liquid is reduced by half. Add the thyme and olives, then nestle the chicken into the skillet.
Place the skillet in the oven and roast for 20 to 30 minutes, or until the juices run mostly clear with only a trace of pink when you pierce a thigh with the tip of a paring knife; the inside of a thick piece of chicken should be 165 degrees. Transfer the chicken to a platter. Drizzle it with the cooking liquid, shallots, thyme, and olives, then serve, garnished with fresh herb sprigs.
