Roasted chicken thighs with devil's sauce

Devil’s sauce, la sauce à la diable, is a classic sauce in French cuisine. The base is so called Spanish sauce which is usually made of veal fond. The other ingredients are chopped shallots, tomato purée, Harvey’s sauce, Worcestershire sauce, and Cayenne pepper. Harvey’s sauce and Worcestershire sauce are classic British condiments. Devil’s sauce is often served with grilled chicken legs or oxtail.

The following recipe is my twist of the devil’s sauce. I have used more Mediterranean ingredients like dried Provençal herbs, black pepper, and balsamic vinegar glaze, crema con aceto balsamico di Modena. 

2 servings

4 chicken thighs

1-2 tbsp. olive oil

1 tsp. dried organic parsley

Freshly ground black pepper

For the devil’s sauce:

1 shallot, minced

1 clove garlic, minced

150 ml chicken stock

150 ml white wine

1 tbsp. balsamic vinegar glaze

2 tsp. tomato purée

½ tsp. dried organic Provençal herbs

Freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 180° C, roast.

Arrange the chicken thighs in an oven-proof dish and coat with the olive oil. Roast for 45 minutes.

Prepare the devil’s sauce. In a saucepan, cook the shallot, garlic, white wine, chicken stock, and Provençal herbs until reduced by about half. Add the balsamic vinegar glaze, tomato purée, and black pepper. Stir until thickened. Cover and set aside.

Serve the chicken thighs over the devil’s sauce and sprinkle with dried parsley and black pepper. Quinoa and broccoli or some other greens would go nicely with the chicken thighs.