Braised Chicken Thighs with Lemon and Basil

Welcome flies.  I don't usually make a habit of welcoming flying insects into my home but this Spring - I'm making an exception.🪰  I'm opening up all of my doors and encouraging every winged creature to join me inside my house.  It's not because I've developed a new fondness for flies - I just need their services right now.  

You see, my lemon tree is flowering.🍋 It's actually covered in the most delicate little, powerfully fragrant blooms ... and I'm thrilled about it!🌼  Here's the problem - my lemon tree currently resides in the corner of my bedroom where it's been thriving during the cooler months of the year.   

The issue is that these beautiful blooms need to be pollinated and it's still to cold to take my tree outside into the fresh air so the bees and the flies and pollinate it.  Last Spring I tried to pollinate my tree with a q-tip --- and it produced no fruit. 😒 (I blame myself)  I guess I just can't do the job as well as an insect.  

So this week, I'm inviting in all of the flying insects in.  I just hope that they realize that their welcome here is on a very limited and temporary basis.😂  Putting up with a few flies inside the house will be worth it if my lemon tree bears fruit in a few months.  (I'll keep you posted on that.)  I love growing lemons but it certainly isn't without it's challenges.🙃 

It may be too soon to take my lemon tree outside but I couldn't resist the urge to plant a small, early Spring herb pot.🪴  I'll have to move it inside to protect the tender plants from a late frost but the extra effort will be worth it to have fresh herbs at my fingertips.   ​

Now, jump ahead in time with me, to November 2023.  The lemons on my tree are abundant and perfectly ripe and my garden is bursting with fragrant basil. 😋  Just thinking about it has me all excited about lemon and herb recipes like this Braised Chicken and Thigh recipe.  There's something special about using the lemons that I grow myself.  I'm very picky about the recipes that I choose to use them in but I this is one that I'll be remaking again this winter with one of my very own lemons. 

Braised Chicken Thighs with Lemon and Basil
4 chicken thighs
3/4 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 Tablespoon oil
1 shallot, minced
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon coriander
3/4 cup chicken broth
zest from 1 lemon
juice from 1 lemon
1 teaspoon water
3/4 teaspoon cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon coriander seeds, crushed
1 Tablespoon butter
6 fresh basil leaves, torn

Dry chicken with paper towels.  Season with salt and pepper. 

Heat oil in skillet.  Add chicken, skin side down.  Cook 8 minutes without moving.   

Flip chicken and brown on second side for 3 minutes.  Transfer to a plate. 

Saute shallot and garlic in skillet for 2 minutes.  

Add cumin and coriander and cook 1 minute.  

Add broth and lemon juice and bring to a simmer.  

Return chicken to skillet, skin side up.  Bake chicken in 325 oven for 35-40 minutes. 

Whisk together water and cornstarch. 

Transfer chicken to a serving platter. 

Stir in coriander seeds and bring to a boil over high heat.  Cook until thickened. (8-10 minutes)

Reduce heat to low and whisk in cornstarch mixture.  Cook 1 minute.

Remove from heat and whisk in lemon zest and butter. 

Season with salt and pepper.  Pour sauce over chicken.  Sprinkle with basil.  Serve.  

Ciao!

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