Chicken with potatoes and olives in garlic-lemon pan sauce

I suggested this cookbook to Santa for Christmas, but meanwhile it came up on my library request list, so I’ve got a chance for a sneak peak.

Braised chicken with potatoes and lemon

From “One Pot” from the kitchens of Martha Stewart Living

Ingredients

8 chicken thighs, bones, skin and all

1 tablespoon olive oil

1¼ cups chicken broth, divided

12 ounces fingerling potatoes, halved

5 garlic cloves, peeled

½ large green olives such as Cerignola, pitted and halved

1 lemon, cut into wedges

6 sprigs thyme

1 teaspoon cornstarch

Method

Brown chicken skin-side down in hot oil in oven-proof roasting pan or skillet. Flip over, add potatoes and 1 cup broth and bring to a boil. Add garlic, olives, lemon and thyme.

Transfer pan to 450 degree oven for 35 minutes. Remove from oven and return to stove top. Mix cornstarch with remaining ¼ cup broth and stir into pan. Sauce will thicken almost immediately.

Rating: Wondrous. Simply grand. It could hardly be easier, and what happens to the lemons that get cooked in the broth is just amazing: they’re like savory candy. Really nice pan sauce. Can you tell this went straight into the keeper pile? This is the kind of recipe that even if it’s the only good one in the book, it’s worth it, but there are several more likely prospects ahead …