Yes, I said DAMN FINE CHICKEN.
Did that catch your attention? Good.
This recipe was inspired by David Lebovitz – whom I’ve already written about crushing on. I love his easy and delicious recipe for roast chicken with caramelized shallots, and this is my take on it. It’s super simple and scrumptious – MAKE IT ALREADY!
I’ve prepared this dish a number of different ways (subbing in different alliums, vinegars, and fats) depending on what I have available in my pantry, and it always comes out wonderfully.
Time to make Damn Fine Chicken!
Serves 6
Ingredients:
- 2 large shallots, minced**
- 3 Calçot onions or scallions, thinly sliced**
- 3 tablespoons sherry vinegar (or balsamic vinegar)
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, avocado oil, melted ghee, coconut oil, etc.
- 1 tablespoon coconut aminos
- 1 tablespoon Red Boat fish sauce
- Kosher salt
- Freshly ground pepper
- 10 drumsticks or 8 chicken thighs
(**in place of the alliums, you can sub in 3 tablespoons of Penzeys Spices’ Sunny Paris seasoning)
Method:
Mix together the shallots, onions, vinegar, oil, coconut aminos, fish sauce, salt (2 large pinches), and pepper (several grinds) in a large bowl. Then, plop the chicken parts on top, and…
…use your hands to make sure the poultry is well-covered in marinade.
Allow the chicken to marinate in the fridge for a few hours. Personally, if I know I’m going to be short on time (which is almost always), I marinate this dish in the morning – that way, the drumsticks’ll be ready for me by the late afternoon, when I start preparing dinner.
When you’re ready to cook, preheat the oven to 400°F on convection bake (or 425°F non-convection). Arrange the chicken (skin-side down) in an oven-safe baking dish and pop it in the hot oven.
Bake the chicken for 40-45 minutes, flipping the pieces halfway through the cooking time. If you want to brown the skin some more, broil it for a few minutes.
Arrange the drumsticks on a platter and pour the cooking liquid over the chicken.
Simple and ridiculously good!
Still not sure how to make this dish? Watch the replay of me preparing this recipe on Facebook Live (recorded April 5, 2017 from my kitchen in Portland). There’s even a cameo by my mother at the end!
Looking for more recipe ideas? Head on over to my Recipe Index. You’ll also find exclusive recipes on my iPhone and iPad app, and in my cookbooks, Nom Nom Paleo: Food for Humans (Andrews McMeel Publishing 2013), Ready or Not! (Andrews McMeel Publishing 2017), and Nom Nom Paleo: Let’s Go! (Andrews McMeel Publishing 2022).
PRINTER-FRIENDLY RECIPE CARD
Damn Fine Chicken
Ingredients
- 2 large shallots minced**
- 3 Calçot onions or scallions thinly sliced**
- 3 tablespoons sherry vinegar or balsamic vinegar
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil avocado oil, melted ghee, coconut oil, etc.
- 1 tablespoon coconut aminos
- 1 tablespoon Red Boat fish sauce
- Kosher salt
- Freshly ground pepper
- 10 drumsticks or 8 chicken thighs
- **in place of all the alliums, you can sub in 3 tablespoons of Penzeys Spices’ Sunny Paris seasoning
Instructions
- Mix together the shallots, onions, vinegar, oil, coconut aminos, fish sauce, salt (2 large pinches), and pepper (several grinds) in a large bowl.
- Then, plop the chicken on top, and use your hands to make sure it's well-covered in marinade.
- Allow the chicken to marinate in the fridge for a few hours. Personally, if I know I’m going to be short on time (which is almost always), I marinate this dish in the morning – that way, the chicken’ll be ready for me by the late afternoon, when I start preparing dinner.
- When you’re ready to cook, preheat the oven to 400°F on convection bake (or 425°F non-convection). Arrange the chicken (skin-side down) in an oven-safe baking dish and pop it in the hot oven.
- Bake the chicken for 40-45 minutes, flipping the pieces halfway through the cooking time. If you want to brown the skin some more, broil it for a minute or two.
- Arrange the drumsticks on a platter, and pour the cooking liquid over the chicken.
- Simple and ridiculously good!
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This recipe is delicious! Quick and simple, so good piping hot from the oven. The marinade is so tasty!
I love this recipe. It’s one I use regularly when the weather starts to get a bit chilly. The sauce is devine.
Absolutely DEE-LISH!! I thought it may be too acidy with the vinegars but was pleasantly surprised. This’ll be going into high rotation. Thank you, Michelle.
Holy cow, this looks delicious! I’m sitting here making “yummy” noises while reading the recipe and my husband is shaking his head across the table, because he can tell I’m looking at a yummy recipe, LOL! Can’t wait to try this!
Out of laziness, can you just do 4 combination drumstick/thighs?
Yep! Cooking time may be a little longer!
I’m sure this is a dumb question but I need to ask it anyway. Does the marinade go into the baking pan too or do you throw out all those good onions because they are marinade?
You will add the marinade with the chicken and bake it all together!
I have been making this for year! This recipe is so delicious! It’s easy to prepare, and even better if you prepare it the day before! We love it as the recipe is written, and we love to throw it on the barbecue. If you don’t have all the various onions, it doesn’t matter, because you can use what you have. This is a winner in my house!
I make this regularly. It is so crave worthy!!! Make it – your only regret will be that you didn’t make it sooner! 🙂
This is a go to recipe for me like many of your other ones. Really delish! I have made it over and over for the last few years. Make it exactly as you wrote it. Tonight I have my granddaughter and her husband coming for dinner, so I will serve with coconut rice…her favourite and broccoli. Thank you Michelle for all the wonderful recipes you share. I have your cookbooks too.
Another easy, and absolutely tasty, chicken dish. I’ve made it a number of times and always successfully.
My take is to use thinly sliced, normal brown onions, finely chopped shallots and, if I have them in the fridge, some slicesd Spring Onions (UK) ie Scallions 😉. Apart from that just as Michelle explains.
Result produces a beautiful sauce with a touch of sweetness from the onions. Eats well with a little rice and long stem broccoli (apologies if either of these are non-paleo. Hands up, I used light soy sauce instead coconut aminos