Garlic Spinach Baked Chicken
Chicken thighs baked in a creamy, garlicky spinach sauce
Ingredients
- 500 g skinless, boneless chicken thighs
- 300 g spinach, roughly chopped
- 150 g radish or other greens, roughly chopped
- 1 large onion, finely chopped
- 2 large, fat garlic cloves
- 1 tbsp sharp, whole grain mustard
- 4 tbsp parmesan, grated
- 200 ml toned milk
- 50 ml light cream
- 2 tbsp plain flour
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- ½ tsp dried thyme
- Salt
- black pepper, freshly grated
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180℃. Season the chicken with salt and pepper.
- Heat a tbsp of olive oil in a pan on medium flame and sear the chicken for 2-3 minutes on each side till lightly golden. Take care not to crowd the pan, fry in batches, Place the chicken in a single layer in a baking dish.
- In the same pan, add the remaining oil, lower the flame and saute the onions until they're soft and translucent. Grate in the garlic and thyme, cook for 30 seconds.
- Tip in the greens and season with salt. Cook them till the water dries up. Add the mustard.
- Cook for 10 seconds add the milk followed by the flour. Stir well ensuring there are no lumps. Once the sauce starts thickening, add the cream and mix well. Season with fresh black pepper. Check the salt, add if needed. Cook sauce to desired, creamy consistency.
- Pour the spinach sauce over the chicken to cover all the thighs evenly. Sprinkle grated parmesan all over, cover the dish with foil and bake for 25-30 mins. The chicken should be cooked by then and the internal temperature should be 74℃. Check with a thermometer of use a sharp knife to pierce the chicken. If the juices are clear, it's cooked, pink juice means that it needs a little more time.
- Remove the foil, increase the temperature to 220℃ and place the dish under the broiler (5 mins) till the top is golden. Serve warm.