What’s cooking? Herby Grilled Chicken Thighs with Pickled Peaches
Kitchen Goddess note: I have discovered – via epicurious.com – that if you can’t find fresh peaches, the pickling recipe below will also work – equally well – with canned peach halves. I haven’t tried it that way, but epicurious.com hasn’t lied to me yet... And I’ll probably try it at some point just out of curiosity, as the pickling juice is a terrific addition to my collection of Useful Liquids to Have in the Fridge.
With every year that I spend back in my home state of Texas, I’m reminded of some of the culinary traditions that were part of my childhood. For instance, Southern cooks will fry almost anything, and if they can’t fry it, they just might pickle it instead. Some foods, like okra, might be treated either way. My mother pickled eggs and beets and jalapeños – often all together. And with peach season on the wane, pickling is a way to preserve them without making jam.
At my grandmother’s house, many meals included a pickled peach half, often on a piece of iceberg lettuce or served in a cut glass bowl on the Sunday table. I loved those peaches, of which my grandmother seemed to have an endless supply. So when I moved back to Texas as an adult, I felt sure I’d find them again. I’ve looked long and hard in every southern grocery store, to no avail. And then I found this recipe. The brine is a bit tarter than I remembered, but the tangy kick of the vinegar with that bouquet of warm spices (clove, cinnamon, ginger, allspice) takes me right back to my grandmother’s table.
Today’s recipes were part of a feature on peaches in the August 2016 issue of Food & Wine magazine – an issue I discovered here in our NJ condo when we returned this summer after our COVID hiatus. Clearly, that issue had been waiting for me. The recipe appeared courtesy of Southern super-chef Sean Brock, who at the time was serving the pickled peaches grilled (!) with chicken thighs. I’ve tried it, and it’s outstanding. And now, I bring it to you.
■ with vanilla ice cream on top, or chopped and on top of the ice cream;
■ piled in wedges on toast spread with burrata;
■ alongside grilled meats, like pork chops or chicken;
■ alongside burgers or sandwiches, instead of a pickle;
■ to elevate a cheese plate, as recommended in Southern Living magazine.
■ Or served as my grandmother did – in a cut glass bowl, of course – as a condiment with roast chicken or turkey for Sunday dinner.
Southern Living also suggests that you save any leftover brine and add a splash to vinaigrettes or iced tea. That salad dressing idea is part of today’s recipe. Great minds...
Pickled Peaches
Adapted from Chef Sean Brock, founder of Husk Nashville, in Food & Wine Magazine
5-6 firm-ripe medium-sized peaches
1½ cups distilled white vinegar
1 cup sugar
1 stalk lemongrass, tender inner bulb only, thinly sliced
One 1-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and thinly sliced
½ teaspoon whole black peppercorns
5 allspice berries
2 whole cloves
One 3-inch cinnamon stick
Special equipment: 2 quart-size jars with lids, or 1 half-gallon jar with lid
Directions
Kitchen Goddess note on peeling peaches: I find that ripe peaches are easy to peel; if you do not, or your peaches are just being difficult, use a sharp paring knife to cut a small X into the bottoms of the peaches and drop them into a saucepan of boiling water for 1-2 minutes. Remove them from the water into an ice bath to cool; the skins should come off easily. Discard the water and wipe out the saucepan.
Slice the peeled peaches in half and remove the pits. Reserve the peach halves in a heatproof bowl.
Use the saucepan to combine the rest of the ingredients plus 1½ cups of water. Stir until the sugar dissolves. Bring the mixture to a boil, and pour it over the peach halves. Let the bowl cool to room temperature, then cover with cellophane wrap and refrigerate overnight.
If you will not be using the peaches the next day, store them in jars with as much brine as will fit; save the remaining brine in a separate container, and use it in pickling other fruits or veggies... or more peaches!
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Even if you decline to try pickling peaches, this chicken recipe is one you’ll surely want to keep. The Kitchen Goddess has executed this dish on a grill and under a broiler, and both ways are good.
Herby Grilled Chicken Thighs with Pickled Peaches
Adapted from Chef Sean Brock, founder of Husk Nashville, in Food & Wine Magazine
Serves 4. (To serve 2, don’t bother cutting the molasses/salt/water mixture in half, but do halve the rest of the ingredients.)
1 tablespoon sorghum syrup or molasses
2 tablespoons kosher salt, plus extra for seasoning the arugula
8 skin-on, bone-in chicken thighs (2-2½ pounds)
½ cup plus 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar (if no red, can substitute – with no loss of flavor – white wine vinegar or champagne vinegar)
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
¼ cup each of chopped parsley, chopped basil and chopped tarragon (I have a helluva time finding fresh tarragon, so have substituted 2 teaspoons of dried; if you really can’t find fresh basil, substitute 4 teaspoons of dried)
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus extra for seasoning the arugula
4 cups arugula, thick stems discarded, chilled until ready to serve
In a large bowl, whisk 8 cups of water with the sorghum syrup and 2 tablespoons of salt. Add the chicken, cover, and refrigerate overnight.
Drain the chicken and wipe out the bowl. In that same bowl, toss the chicken with ½ cup of the olive oil, the vinegar, garlic, chopped herbs, and 1 teaspoon of pepper. Let stand at room temperature for 1 hour, massaging the mix once or twice to get the garlic and herbs well distributed.
If you’ll be using a grill, light the grill and set to moderate heat. Do not oil the grate, as the chicken is already covered in oil. Grill the chicken thighs over moderate heat, turning, until lightly charred and cooked through, 20 to 25 minutes.
If you’ll be using your oven’s broiler, preheat the broiler and line the broiler pan with foil. Using a rack insert to the pan or not – I’ve done both – broil the chicken, starting with the skin side down, turning once or twice, for a total of 10-12 minutes per side. (Slightly longer if your thighs – that is, your chicken thighs – are especially meaty.) Internal temperature when done should be 170-175°.
With either method, transfer the cooked chicken to a large plate and let it rest for 5 minutes while you grill the peaches. Remove the peaches from the brine and reserve the pickling liquid.
Grill the peaches over moderate heat (or under the broiler), turning once, until lightly charred, 5-6 minutes. Transfer peaches to a plate.
In a bowl, toss the arugula with 1 tablespoon of the peach pickling liquid and the remaining tablespoon of olive oil; season with salt and pepper. Arrange the salad, chicken and grilled peaches on a platter and serve.
