Braised Chicken Thighs in White Wine

So what do I choose to do on a night I have all to myself....when I am totally alone and have nothing that needs doing?  Do I go shopping?  go to a movie? watch TV?  Nope, I cook!  I don't know, for me, there's just something so enjoyable about creating something delicious... It is both fun and relaxing -- So, I hope you will enjoy my next installment as much as I did making it.

I started out with a package of chicken thighs.  I took the skin off and any extra fat and placed them in my trusty cast iron fry pan, bone side up.  Sprinkle with some salt, pepper, and about a teaspoon of thyme.

Next thinly slice 4 cloves of garlic and sprinkle over the chicken.  Add one cup of white wine and bring to a boil.

Cover tightly, turn down the heat and let simmer for 30 minutes.  Remove the cover and turn the thighs over.  Place a slice of lemon on each thigh and cover to finish cooking the last 15 minutes.  When they are done, remove them from the fry pan and cover with foil.  Keep the liquid from cooking the chicken in the pan so you can make the sauce.

At this point, I pour 2 cups of chicken broth in a separate sauce pan, along with a sprinkle of dried onions and 2 tbs of butter.   When it comes to a boil, add one cup of brown basmati rice, or any rice you would like to use, and cook according to the package.

While the rice is cooking, I bring the sauce I cooked the chicken in to a boil and reduce it by half.

At this point, I lower the heat, add a handful of fresh flat leaf parsley I have chopped, 2 tbs of butter, and about a tbs of lemon juice (I squeezed the left over piece of lemon that I sliced).  The last ingredient I add is about a cup of sliced Bella mushrooms.  I just want the heat of the sauce to warm the mushrooms, not cook them.  When serving the chicken, just ladle some of this delicious sauce over it.

I had the end of a bag of brussel sprouts, so I tossed them in some olive oil, salt and pepper, and roasted them.

When the rice was done, I added a few shakes of shredded Parmesan cheese and stirred it in.  Nice touch!

And now for the best part, serve yourself some dinner!