Herbed Chicken Thighs with Brown Butter Mushroom Quinoa

Chef notes

This dish is one of my favorite weeknight meals to make because it's quick, delicious and packed with flavor. Using boneless, skinless chicken thighs instead of breasts is also a great way to ensure this dish is moist, tender and succulent. Thighs tend to be a bit more forgiving than breasts, which really helps when you may be doing some serious weeknight multitasking. I also love the depth of flavor that chicken thighs provide. In addition, as thighs are generally smaller than chicken breasts, a deliciously crispy quick sear on both sides can be achieved easily without the need to butterfly or pound flat with a meat tenderizer.

Traditionally used in a number of Middle Eastern dishes, tarragon is also the main flavoring component of béarnaise sauce and is frequently also paired with lobster. The use of tarragon in this recipe really brings a warm earthiness to the chicken that pairs well with the brown butter quinoa. Unless you happen to have some lying around, prior to getting started, you'll need to whip up a batch of brown butter, which involves slowly cooking at low heat until the milk solids become fragrant and begin to brown. Although this dish only calls for a couple tablespoons, I like to whip up a couple sticks of brown butter at a time so I always have some on hand. Slightly toasting the quinoa in brown butter at the beginning of this recipe really adds a great nutty flavor that fills your mouth with each bite.

Technique tip: Prior to making this dish, make sure to remove your chicken from the refrigerator 10 to 15 minutes ahead of time to help it come up to temp. Just before seasoning the thighs, pat them dry with a paper towel to help achieve a beautiful sear when cooking.

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