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Figs are at their best at the moment; rich, ripe and jammy, and aside from eating the best ones raw, my favourite thing to make for dinner right now is this simple one-pan dish of Chicken with Marsala and Figs.
Honestly, don’t be put off by the fact this recipe for One Pan Chicken with Marsala and Figs takes just over an hour to make. In reality, you’ll only need 10-15 minutes for hands on time (if I’m using a non-stick casserole the thighs take less than 10 minutes to brown off properly, though in a cast iron pan live I’ve used in these pictures you’ll need a little longer as if you heat them to the same temperature the brown bits from the chicken will burn in the pan before you’ve properly browned the thighs, ruining the sauce) before popping it in the oven to do it’s thing.
I know calling for things to be served with crusty bread for popping up the pan juices and a green salad has turned into something of a cliche, but it really is the best option in this case. And it makes for such an easy dinner.
Finally, thanks so much to Kiki for helping test this recipe, and who has contributed to the substitution notes on the recipe card below. Kiki writes a brilliant food-focused newsletter detailing her American ex-pat life in Spain, which you really need to subscribe to asap – it is an automatic open the moment a new edition lands in my inbox!
This simple one pan recipe for roast Chicken with Marsala and Figs is perfect for autumn, and only involves 15 minutes of hands on time to yield tender chicken with a crispy skin, jammy figs and an addictive pan sauce. Serve as is, with a green salad and plenty of crusty bread for mopping up that delicious sauce.
Ingredients
Scale
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
4 skin on, bone in chicken thighs
sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
100ml (6 1/2 tbsp) Marsala wine
2 tbsp runny honey
1 1/2 tbsp white balsamic vinegar (see note)
4 fresh thyme sprigs
4 large ripe figs
Instructions
Pre-heat the oven to 190 degrees (375 farenheit).
In a shallow casserole dish heat the oil over a medium high heat. Season the chicken thighs well and brown them off in the pan before removing from the pan and setting aside. I usually don’t with supermarket thighs, but if you are left with a lot of excess far in the pan you may wish to drain a little off before deglazing the pan.
Deglaze the pan with the Marsala before stirring in the honey, white balsamic vinegar, the thyme sprigs and the figs, halved.
Return the chicken to the pan, skin side down so they become coated in the sauce, before flipping them over so that they’re skin side up. Also flip the figs to cut side up before roasting for 35 to 40 minutes until the chicken skins are deeply browned, the figs have become sticky and jammy, and the pan sauce has reduced to become rich and sticky.
Remove the thyme sprigs from the pan before serving with crusty bread and a green salad.
Notes
White balsamic vinegar is sometimes sold as ‘white condiment’, but if you can’t find it regular (good quality) balsamic or white wine vinegar make acceptable substitutes.
I'm a food writer, professional recipe developer and cookbook author living in the English Countryside. I love creating easy, accessable recipes filled with vibrant world flavours that are manageable on busy weeknights. Simple and delicious dinners, from my kitchen to yours!
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One Pan Pescatarian: 100 Delicious Dinners – Veggie, Vegan, Fish
My second cookbook contains 100 delicious dinner recipes, all of which are either vegetarian, vegan or which celebrate fish and seafood - all cooked in either one pot or one pan.*
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