Ingredients Chicken Chicken Thighs Braised Chicken Thighs with Apples and Wild Rice 4.0 (2) 9 Reviews Erick Harcey, one of Minneapolis’ most celebrated chefs, serves this braised chicken with his supreme riff on Rice-A-Roni. Tart Granny Smith apples and cider vinegar not only tenderize the chicken thighs but also act as the base for the incredible sauce. Slideshow: More Chicken Thigh Recipes By Erick Harcey Erick Harcey F&W Star Chef » See All F&W Chef Superstars Restaurants: Victory 44, Rustica Bakery, Dogwood Coffee, Parka (Minneapolis) Experience: Hotel Sofitel (Bloomington, MN); Nicollet Island Inn, B.T. McElrath Chocolatier (Minneapolis) Education: Le Cordon Bleu (Minneapolis) Who taught you how to cook? What is the most important thing you learned from him or her?Mainly my Grandpa Bill. He had a great saying, “Eye appeal is half the meal.” What was the first dish you ever cooked yourself? The first dish I made myself was venison steak with mustard cream sauce and apples. That taught me about refinement and how much attention good food takes. What is the best dish for a neophyte cook to try?For a neophyte, a salad might be a good place to start. It can help you learn a basic technique like vinaigrette. And it can stretch your knowledge of ingredients. Try making a rule that you can’t default to greens as the base. Try beets: Are they good raw? Or would you like them a little tenderer? Then blanch them. Do you like them simply dressed, or in a more elaborate vinaigrette with blueberries? Cheese or no cheese? That helps you learn what you like. Favorite cookbook of all time?If I had to pick one, it’s The French Laundry Cookbook, but I also love White Heat, by Marco Pierre White; The Kitchen Sessions with Charlie Trotter; Chez Panisse Fruit; Tapas, by José Andrés; David Chang’s Momofuku; and Grant Achatz’s Alinea. What’s the most important skill you need to be a great cook?Humility. What is your current food obsession?Carrots. I was cooking them sous vide for a carrot tartare, and realized you can get so many different textures and levels of sweetness out of them depending on how you cook them, and for how long. They’re so adaptable and pair with so many ingredients. For the tartare, I ran the cooked carrots through a meat grinder to simulate the texture of ground meat. I served it with pickled mustard seeds, apple, oil-cured olives and pickled ginger. Best bang-for-the-buck food trip: Where would you go and why?Chicago. It’s super-close and has so many cool restaurants. I am a huge fan of anything Paul Kahan does. Publican Meats is delicious for a brunch, but my favorite right now is Trencherman. If you were going to take Thomas Keller, Anthony Bourdain or Mario Batali out to eat, who would you take and where would you go?Thomas Keller. I wouldn’t take him out anywhere. I would bring him to my grandpa’s or have my mom cook, so we could relax and I could pick his brain for hours. If you were facing an emergency, and could take only one backpack of supplies, what would you bring, and what would you make?Knives, fleur de sel, eggs, a baguette, butter and country ham. I would make soft scrambled eggs on buttered baguette with country ham. What is your favorite snack? A good, ripe soft cheese on olive bread. My favorite is St. André triple cream. But I also love Rogue River Blue. Five people to follow on Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook.The only person you need to follow on any social media is Andrew Zimmern. He knows everyone. He’s funny and a great guy. Do you have any food superstitions or pre- or post-shift rituals?Espresso before the shift, throughout the shift and after the shift. Food & Wine's Editorial Guidelines Updated on February 1, 2018 Print Rate It Share Share Tweet Pin Email Photo: Christopher Testani Active Time: 1 hrs Total Time: 1 hrs 45 mins Yield: 6 Ingredients 6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided 4 ounces vermicelli, broken into 1 / 2 -inch pieces 4 shallots, minced 8 garlic cloves, thinly sliced, divided 9 cups low-sodium chicken broth, divided 2 cups wild rice (12 ounces) 1 tablespoon chicken bouillon powder 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided 6 tablespoons minced chives, divided 3 tablespoons chopped parsley 2 tablespoons chopped thyme, divided Kosher salt Pepper 3 pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs 3 Granny Smith apples, 2 apples cored and diced, 1 apple halved, cored, and thinly sliced 2 shallots, thinly sliced 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour 1 cup apple cider vinegar 1/4 cup heavy cream 2 cups lightly packed baby arugula 2 cups lightly packed watercress 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice Directions In a medium saucepan, warm 3 tablespoons oil over moderate heat. Add vermicelli and cook, stirring often, until lightly browned, 3 to 4 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer vermicelli to a bowl. Add minced shallots and half of garlic to pan and cook, stirring occasionally, until just soft, 3 to 5 minutes. Add vermicelli, 6 cups broth, wild rice, and bouillon, and bring to a boil over high. Cover and simmer over low heat until liquid is absorbed and rice is tender, about 45 minutes. Stir in 2 tablespoons butter, 3 tablespoons chives, parsley, and 1 tablespoon thyme; season with salt and pepper. Preheat oven to 350°F. Season chicken with salt and pepper. In a large cast-iron skillet, heat 2 tablespoons oil over moderately high heat until shimmering. Add half of chicken to skillet, skin side down, and cook, turning occasionally, until browned all over, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer to a baking sheet. Repeat with remaining chicken. Add diced apples, remaining half of garlic, and sliced shallots to skillet; cook, stirring occasionally, until just softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in flour and cook 1 minute. Stir in vinegar, scraping up browned bits from bottom of pan. Bring to a boil and cook until sauce is thickened, about 2 minutes. Stir in remaining 3 cups broth, and season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, then nestle chicken in sauce, skin side up. Transfer skillet to preheated oven, and braise until chicken is cooked through and very tender, about 45 minutes. Remove from oven and place chicken thighs on a plate. Set skillet with sauce over moderate heat and simmer until reduced by half, about 5 minutes. Whisk in cream and remaining 3 tablespoons butter until incorporated. Stir in remaining 3 tablespoons chives and remaining 1 tablespoon thyme, and season with salt and pepper. Return chicken, skin side up, to sauce. In a medium bowl, toss together arugula, watercress, sliced apple, lemon juice, and remaining 1 tablespoon oil; season with salt and pepper. Transfer chicken to plate; serve with sauce, salad, and wild rice. Rate it Print