




Crispy Chicken with Fig and Shallot Compote
Yield: 4-6 servings
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 40 minutes
Ingredients:
8 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (about 3 pounds)
1 teaspoon flaky sea salt
2 teaspoons ghee or extra virgin olive oil
Freshly ground black pepper
1 lemon (preferably organic)
3 shallots, halved and thinly sliced
1 pint figs, finely chopped
Preheat the oven to 450. Season the chicken with the sea salt on both sides. Heat a very large ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. When the pan is hot, add the ghee or oil, swirl to coat the bottom of the pan, and add the chicken thighs, skin side down. Season the meaty side with pepper. Cook for about ten minutes, until the chicken skin is deep golden brown. Turn off the heat, turn the chicken pieces over, and season the skin side with pepper. Transfer the skillet to the oven and roast for 20-25 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through.
While the chicken is roasting, use a microplane or peeler to remove the lemon zest in thin strips. Then, juice the lemon until you have about two tablespoons of juice.
When the chicken is done roasting, carefully remove the skillet from the oven, transfer the thighs to a plate, and cover them loosely with foil. Pour off all but a tablespoon of fat from the skillet, trying not to lose too many browned bits. Set the pan over medium high heat and add the shallots and half the lemon zest, reserving the remainder for serving. Cook, scraping the bottom of the pan with a spatula, for about 5 minutes, until the shallots have softened. Reduce the heat to medium and add the figs. Cook, stirring frequently, until the figs are heated through, 2-3 minutes. Stir in 1 tablespoon of lemon juice. Taste the compote and add more salt, pepper, and lemon juice if desired.
Serve the chicken hot with the warm compote spooned on top. Garnish with lemon zest and/or lemon wedges.

I am working my way through all your recipes, so keep them coming! I am breastfeeding my little baby (4 months old) who has an allergy to gluten and dairy in my diet. Your website has been a savior to our kitchen! I have tried 6 of your recipes so far, and loved every one of them!
Quick question for this one… making it this week. What are some sides your recommend to go with it?
Thank you so much, Natalie! I’m thrilled you’ve been enjoying the recipes. I love mashed potatoes or some other kind of mash with crispy chicken. You could do the rutabaga mash from this recipe: http://acalculatedwhisk.com/spicy-shrimp-and-kale-with-creamy/ or get a little fancier with this one: http://acalculatedwhisk.com/mashed-rutabaga-squash-with-roasted/. If you have my cookbook Paleo Planet, this would also go really well with Colcannon (page 208), Ginger-Lime Parsnip Puree (page 214), or Curried Roasted Squash and Brussels Sprouts (page 221). If you can’t do ghee you can sub olive or avocado oil in recipes that call for it. Let me know what you end up trying! ๐
Hi! So excited to try this! Do u think it would work w boneless skinless thighs? If so, how would I alter the cooking? Thanks!
Hi Joy! Well, the chicken won’t be crispy without the skin–I highly recommend bone-in, skin-on thighs for this dish! If you want to try it with boneless, skinless thighs they’ll cook more quickly. You could do it entirely on the stovetop and they’d probably be done in 15 minutes or so–just cut one open or use a meat thermometer to check.
Thanks you! I’m going to try it this time with the boneless skinless since that’s what I have, but next time I’ll do it the “real” way! So excited to try and cook with figs! I love them but haven’t tried using them myself!
Sounds good! Let me know what you think ๐
This is the third recipe using figs that I've seen today. I'm going to have to break down and try them. Can you believe I've never tried figs? Looks delicious!
Byron, you are going to LOVE them! I haven't seen many other fig recipes around lately–I'm going to have to do some searching!
I LOVE your poem – and I totally share your love for figs ๐ This dish sounds fantastic btw – although anything with figs thrown in gets a tick of approval in my book ๐
Thank you, Donna! I agree–figs are an automatic win.
Compote + figs sounds like a perfect pair! I'm also impressed by your poetic abilities. What a great use of imagery!
Thanks so much, Rachel! Maybe I will include poems in my blog posts more often ๐
This looks absolutely amazing! I love cooking with fug ๐
Thank you, Chi!
Ok, I am going to have to start cooking with figs. This looks too good!
Thanks, Whitney! I know it can be hard to anything with fresh figs besides gobble them up as-is, but I love them in this compote. I still ate a few plain while I was making the recipe! ๐
Looks amazing and delicous.. perfect for summer
Thank you so much! ๐
This looks great and its great to connect with another gluten free blogger! I'd love for you to share any of your gfree recipes at our weekly Gluten Free Fridays recipe party! All recipes that are linked up are pinned and tweeted! We've been sharing at this party for over 2 years ๐ Hope to see you soon!
Thanks so much, Cindy! I will definitely check it out ๐
This was so delicious … I loved the fig compote!! Also, I like the poem … Move over, Mr. P. Neruda!
Thank you!! So glad you enjoyed it ๐