This simple, flavorful dish utilizes two key herbs and spices: thyme and cumin. It’s also healthy while it still has butter and cream. Go figure. The correct plating is critical in making this dish look wonderful rather than eh.

The recipe comes from Ayesha Curry’s new cookbook. Curry is a Canadian-born, Charlotte, North Carolina-raised wife and mom currently living in the Bay Area. A mom to two daughters, Riley and Ryan, and wife to NBA MVP and superstar Stephen Curry, Ayesha hosts her own show, “Cookin’ with the Currys,” on Comcast SportsNet Bay Area.

If you need a little more to this meal, add our Wild Rice, Pecan, and Cranberry Salad recipe to your repertoire.

  • Yield: 4 to 6 servings
  • Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients (18)

Chicken:

  • 8 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (about 3 ¾ pounds)
  • Kosher salt
  • Black pepper, freshly ground
  • 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
  • 1 shallot, chopped
  • 3 garlic cloves, chopped
  • ½ cup dry white wine
  • ½ cup orange juice
  • 1 tablespoon honey
  • Leaves from 3 thyme sprigs

Carrots:

  • 2 cups carrots, chopped
  • Kosher salt
  • ¼ cup heavy cream, at room temperature
  • 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
  • Black pepper, freshly ground

Instructions

To make the chicken:

  1. Preheat the oven to 425°F. Season the chicken thighs generously on all sides with salt and pepper.
  2. Heat the oil in a cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. In two batches, brown the chicken thighs, skin-side down, until golden brown, 3 to 5 minutes for each batch. Transfer the chicken to a plate. Discard all but 1 tablespoon of the fat in the pan.
  3. Lower the heat to medium and melt the butter. Sauté the shallot until translucent, about 1 minute, adding the garlic halfway through cooking. Add the wine and orange juice and bring to a boil, dislodging any bits of food from the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. Stir in the honey and thyme and simmer until the sauce has reduced slightly, 3 to 5 minutes.
  4. Remove the pan from the heat and put the chicken back in the skillet, skin side up. Bake the thighs until tender when pierced with a fork, about 30 minutes. Let the chicken rest in their juices while you make the carrot puree.

To make the carrot puree:

  1. Put the carrots and a few pinches of salt in a saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil over high heat, then lower the heat to medium-low and simmer until the carrots just begin to turn tender, about 12 minutes.
  2. Drain the carrots and transfer to a blender. Add the cream, butter, and cumin and blend until smooth. Season with a few generous pinches each of salt and pepper.
  3. To serve, spoon the carrot puree onto serving plates and top with the chicken thighs.