chicken with black-eyed peas and cherry tomatoes

No no no wait! Don't click back! You're in the right place. The blog's just undergoing a major face lift. My awesome friend Harriet,who's attending the prestigious SCAD, is working on a banner for me and it should be ready in a couple weeks. With that will probably come a name change but more on that when the time comes.

I came across a really rustic chicken dish by Terry at Blue Kitchen last month and I've had it bookmarked for the longest time. Pretty much if it looks/sounds tasty and it's made in one pan, the recpie is probably marked for future creation (worst part about cooking has to be the dishes IMO). The dish is very comforting and while it looks quite heavy, it's actually pretty light. Scared of eating chicken legs instead of chicken breasts? Don't be. It's tastier, cheaper and has 1 extra gram of saturated fat per 5 oz. comparison, both without the skin. If there's anything that scares me about chicken legs is making sure it's cooked all the way through but by searing then braising the legs, this recipe is foolproof - as well as delicious.

Chicken with Black-Eyed Peas and Cherry Tomatoes
Adapted from Terry at Blue Kitchen, Serves 4

Ingredients:
- 8 chicken legs, skin on
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 4 slices of bacon, cut into lardons
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 3 cloves of garlic, minced
- 2.5 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 0.5 cup dry white wine
- 11-12 oz. package shelled fresh black-eyed peas
- 8oz. fresh green beans, trimmed
- 10 oz. cherry tomatoes, halved if large
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme (can be omitted)

1) Season the chicken legs with salt, pepper and half of the dried thyme. In a hot pan, add oil and over medium-high heat, sear the chicken breasts on all sides (including the top) until colored. About 3 minutes per side all around. I believe this is one of the most important steps to this recipe. The caramelized proteins from the chicken will add great flavor to the vegetables and remember - some of the color will fade away as it braises in the cooking liquid. Get a good color on the legs.
2) Remove the legs to a plate and wipe excess oil but don't wash the pan. Add the bacon lardons and fry until crispy over medium heat. Transfer the bacon to the same plate as the chicken legs.
3) Drain most of the bacon fat (or all if you're feeling wimpy) and add a little more oil. Saute the onions until translucent, about 3 - 4 minutes.
4) Add garlic and the other half of the dried thyme and saute until fragrant. Between 30 seconds to a minute.
5) Deglaze the pan with the white wine and once reduced, add the chicken stock. Add black-eyed peas to the pan and stir.
6) Return the chicken and bacon lardons to the pan and cover. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for about 12 minutes.
7) Add green beans to the pan and cover again. Cook for 4 more minutes.
8) Add the cherry tomatoes to the pan and this time, cook uncovered for 5 - 6 minutes until the tomatoes have softened and the liquid coats the back of a spoon.
9) Adjust seasoning with salt/pepper and add fresh thyme just before serving. The fresh thyme can be omitted if not on hand.
10) Spoon vegetable mixture in a serving bowl and arrange the drumsticks on top. Serve and eat warm.