Chicken, peaches and cream just sounds like it would make a great dish, doesn’t it? That’s what I thought when I decided to write the recipe. When I was a kid, my dad had made a chicken dish with peaches and for years after we would talk about it. He could never find the recipe and it wound up being a one-time wonder. I was too young to remember what was in that original dish, but I do remember it was great.
So, here is my take. It really came out delicious and I think you can have a lot of flexibility when making it. You can decide if you want to use sugar or sugar substitute, half and half or cream, frozen or fresh peaches, etc. Then, just get to making it. I always serve the sauce under the chicken to protect that crispy skin. I like to serve this with orzo or rice to soak up the sauce and love a vibrant green veggie on the side. Both broccoli and snap peas are in regular rotation when I make this dish.
To get started, preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Put a cast iron skillet over medium high heat and get it really hot.
Dry the chicken thighs with paper towel and sprinkle with salt, pepper and garlic on all sides. Place the chicken, skin side down, in the skillet and cook until the skin is really brown and crispy (5-8 minutes). Flip the chicken over and put in the oven and roast for about 20 minutes.
While the chicken is roasting in the oven, make the glaze. In a small bowl, mix two tablespoons of white wine and two tablespoons of peach preserves. Put in the microwave for 30 seconds to loosen up the preserves. Stir again.
At the 20 minute mark, brush the chicken thighs with the peach glaze and continue cooking in the oven for another 10 – 15 minutes. This will give you time to make the peaches and cream sauce.
Add a teaspoon of olive oil to a large skillet. Add the shallots and cook over medium heat until the shallots are soft. Add the peaches and sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 1/2 teaspoon of pepper and the teaspoon of sugar or sugar substitute. Stir to combine and cook until everything is warm and the fruit starts to soften. About 5 minutes.
Next, mix the white wine with the cornstarch and add to the peach mixture. This will thicken up the sauce. Cook until most of the liquid has evaporated and the sauce is thickening. About five minutes.
Add the fresh rosemary and the half and half or cream and stir to combine. Taste and adjust seasoning.
If needed, add more salt and pepper. To finish the sauce, add the butter and let it melt into the sauce. Lower the heat on the sauce to keep it warm while the chicken finishes cooking.
I love the crispy, glazed skin on this chicken so I don’t pour the sauce over the top. Rather, I add the sauce to a platter and top with the glazed chicken thighs. Garnish with some fresh peaches and fresh rosemary sprigs. Dig in and enjoy.
Looking for other delicious chicken thigh recipes? Try some of these:
Roasted Chicken Thighs with Sage, Mushrooms, Baby Potatoes, and Apples
Chicken, Peaches & Cream
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 4 Chicken Thighs, bone in and skin on (trimmed of excess fat and skin)
- 1 Tbsp. Olive oil
- 1 Tsp. Kosher Salt
- 1 Tsp. Freshly ground black pepper
- 1 Tsp. Garlic granules
- 2 Tbsp. Peach preserves
- 2 Tbsp. White Wine
SAUCE:
- 1 Tsp. Olive Oil
- 1 Medium Shallot, finely chopped
- ¼ Cup White wine
- 1 Lb. Fresh or Frozen peach slices
- 1 Tsp. Sugar or sugar substitute (like Swerve)
- 1 Tsp. Cornstarch
- 2 Tbsp. Fresh Rosemary, finely chopped (keep a couple of sprigs for garnish)
- 1 Tbsp. Unsalted butter
- ¼ Cup Half and half or heavy cream
- ½ Tsp. Kosher salt (plus more to taste)
- ½ Tsp. Freshly ground black pepper (plus more to taste)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
- Add one tablespoon of olive oil to a cast iron skillet and heat overmedium high heat until really hot.
- Meanwhile, dry the chicken thighs with paper towel to remove excess moisture and sprinkle the chicken with the salt, pepperand garlic on both sides. Add skin down thighs to the skillet and cook until the skin is really brown and crispy (5-8 minutes). Flip the chicken and put in the oven and roast for about 20 minutes. Then brush the chicken with the glaze mixture below. Continue cooking another 10 minutes until cooked through.
- To make the glaze, mix the peach preserves and white wine in a small dish. Put in the microwave for 30 seconds to loosen up the preserves. Stir well then brush on your chicken thighs.
- While the chicken is cooking, make the sauce. Add the teaspoon of olive oil to a saucepan and add the shallots. Sauté over medium heat until the shallots are soft. Add peaches and sprinkle with ½ teaspoon of salt and ½ teaspoon of pepper and the teaspoon of sugar or sugar substitute. Cook and stir until peaches are warmed through and starting to get soft. About 5 minutes.
- Mix the white wine with the cornstarch and then add to the peach mixture. Cook until most of the liquid is evaporated and the sauce is thickening…about five minutes. Add the fresh rosemary and the half and half or cream. Stir and heat through. TASTE and adjust seasoning. Add more salt and pepper to taste. Add the butter to finish the sauce.
- Lower heat to low and let simmer while chicken finishes.
- To keep the chicken’s skin nice and crispy, I like to plate the sauce with the peach on the bottom of the plate or bowl and top it with the chicken thighs. Garnish with fresh peach slices and/or rosemary sprigs. Enjoy.
