Chicken in White Wine with Potatoes and Carrots

This is a fantastic chicken dish that comes together fairly easily on a weeknight.  Since it's wine-based, it reminds me a bit of coq-au-vin, except much lighter because it features white wine instead of red.  However, that homey, comfort-food style is still there, making this a perfect warm dinner on a cool night.  You could definitely play around with the veggies here, although shallots, carrots, and potatoes were very tasty.  Other root veggies would add a nice touch as well.  Definitely don't play it safe with the lemon juice - the acidity really brings out the other flavors in the dish and makes this chicken sing!

Note: We found 4 thighs was enough for 4 people since there are lots of veggies here.  If you're serving a hungrier crowd, feel free to double the amount of chicken and marinade, leaving the amount of veggies alone.

Chicken in White Wine with Potatoes and Carrots (adapted from Everybody Likes Sandwiches, original recipe here)
Serves 4

1 serrano pepper, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp oregano
Juice of 1 lemon
1/2 tsp ground cumin
4 skinless, boneless chicken thigh
1 T olive oil
Salt and pepper
1 T butter
3 large shallots, coarsely chopped
4 medium carrots, cut into 2 inch long rounds
3/4 cup Riesling or another sweet white wine
8 fingerling potatoes, cut into chunks
1/4 cup heavy cream
Juice of 1/2 lemon + lemon juice to serve

1. Rinse and pat dry chicken thighs and add them to a bowl with the garlic, serrano peppers, oregano, cumin and lemon juice. Stir and let sit for 30 minutes. Heat the olive oil over medium-high heat and then add chicken and marinating liquid. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Brown chicken on all sides and then remove from pot and set aside.

2. Heat butter in the same pan and saute shallots and carrots for a few minutes.  Season with salt and pepper. Add the chicken back into the pot. Pour the white wine over top and cover.  Cook over med-low heat until chicken is cooked through, about 30 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, cook potatoes separately in salted boiling water until just tender. Drain and add to the chicken pot. When the chicken is cooked through, remove from the the heat and add the heavy cream and lemon juice, stirring gently so everything gets coated.  Serve with lemon wedges, salt, and pepper.