Southern-fied Arrabiata

One of my favorite things to make is a take on something I had during my whirlwind day in NYC earlier this year. I like to call it Southern-fied Arrabiata, because the base recipe is 100% Italian, but my starch is tried and true creamy grits. Seriously, this is probably one of the best dishes to come out of my kitchen.

Using Emeril’s lemon-garlic chicken thighs for the basis: The chicken thigh flavor is the perfect backdrop for the spice of sauce; the creaminess of the grits gives you a smooth finish. I just love it. Did I mention it is easy enough to make for a weeknight dinner?

Make this immediately.

 Southern-fied Arrabiata

Ingredients 

6-8 chicken thighs, can use either bone-in or boneless

¼ cup olive oil
½ cup all-purpose flour
2 cups thinly sliced onions
about one and a half heads of garlic, peeled and smashed
½ tablespoon crushed red pepper
Juice of about one lemon
1 and ¼ cup chicken broth
¼ stone-ground grits
¼ cup of Parmesan cheese
Splash of milk
Salt, for seasoning
Pepper, for seasoning
Parsley, for garnish

Directions
Season the chicken thighs with salt and pepper; dredging them in flour while an oven safe saute pan heats with oil. Add the prepared thighs to the pan, browning well—about 8 minutes on each side. Remove the chicken from the pan, and set aside. Add the onion and garlic, letting the onion wilt for about 2 minutes. Add crushed red pepper and let cook for another minute or so. Put chicken back in the pan with lemon juice and chicken broth. Bring everything to a simmer and cover tightly. Bake for 25 minutes at 350°. While the chicken is baking, boil one cup of water to prepare the grits. Once the water is boiling, add grits, with a splash of milk and some Parmesan cheese. Serve chicken on top of grits with parsley as a garnish and drizzled pan drippings.