Chicken Thighs Baked with Cauliflower and Sour Cream Mushroom Sauce

Fragrant chicken thighs with a crispy crust, juicy cauliflower, and springy mushrooms in sour cream – such a dish deserves even a festive table! And everyone can handle the cooking: grease the chicken thighs with a mixture of spices, vegetable oil, and lemon juice, bake in the oven until golden brown, then add cabbage inflorescences and mushrooms stewed in sour cream and return to the oven, covered with foil. It is this phasing that ensures the best taste of each component.

Ingredients

• Chicken thighs – 750 g (4 pcs.)
• Cauliflower – 450 g (1/2 head of cabbage)
• Champignons – 100 g
• Onions – 100 g
• Fat sour cream (I have homemade) – 125 g (5 tablespoons)
• Lemon (for juice) – 1 slice
• Vegetable oil – 55 ml (3.5 tablespoons)
• Seasoning for chicken – 1 teaspoon
• Ground sweet paprika – 1 teaspoon
• Salt – 1 pinch
• Ground black pepper – 0.25 teaspoon
• Fresh parsley (optional, for serving) – 1-2 sprigs

Directions

1. Prepare all required ingredients. Since the mushrooms will be fried during the cooking process, they do not need excess moisture, so I advise you not to wash them, but simply wipe them with a damp kitchen towel and refresh the slices on the legs.

   

2. You can take any seasoning. I have a mixture of curry, turmeric, dried garlic and onions, coriander, black and red peppers, and salt.
3. The first step is to cut the bones from the chicken thighs. With a sharp long knife, I make a thorough incision between the chicken meat and the bone, spread the thigh skin down, insert the knife into the incision and press the thigh with my palm to fix the position. Moving the blade parallel to the thigh, I cut the bone. Wash prepared chicken thighs and pat dry with paper towels.
4. Squeeze 1 teaspoon of juice from the lemon.
   Sprinkle the chicken thighs with seasoning and paprika. Drizzle 1 tablespoon. a spoonful of vegetable oil and lemon juice.
   If your seasoning contains no salt, then be sure to add it to the chicken at this stage.
5. Rub the seasonings into the chicken thighs and leave for 10-15 minutes at room temperature. Turn on the oven, set the temperature to 200 degrees.
6. Peel the onion and cut it into quarters. Cut the champignons into thin slices.
7. Divide the cauliflower into inflorescences.
8. Cover the baking sheet with foil and grease with 1 tablespoon. a spoonful of vegetable oil. Put the pickled chicken thighs on a baking sheet, skin side up, and put in the oven, preheated to 200 degrees, for about 15 minutes.

   

9. Heat the pan with the remaining vegetable oil (1.5 tablespoons) and fry the mushrooms over high heat for 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Add the onion to the mushrooms.
10. Fry for 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Season with salt and pepper.
11. Add 100 g sour cream to the mushrooms and onions, pour in 100 ml of boiled water. Stir, cover and simmer mushrooms in sour cream over medium heat for 5 minutes.
12. By this time, the chicken thighs should already be appetizingly browned: the skin will acquire a golden hue, and juices will be sealed inside the chicken meat. Remove the baking sheet with ruddy hips from the oven, reduce the temperature to 180 degrees.
13. Add cabbage inflorescences to the chicken thighs, filling the free space. If desired, sprinkle the cabbage with salt and black pepper.
14. Put mushrooms in sour cream sauce on top of the cabbage.
15. Brush chicken thighs and cabbage with the remaining sour cream.
16. Cover the baking sheet with foil, return to the oven and bake chicken thighs with cauliflower and mushrooms in sour cream sauce at 180 degrees for 25-30 minutes. During this time, the chicken should be ready and the cauliflower should be soft. If you want the cabbage to brown, remove the foil 5 minutes before cooking.

    

17. Put the baked chicken thighs with cauliflower and sour cream-mushroom sauce on a plate, sprinkle with chopped parsley if desired, and serve. This dish does not require any additions, even sauces will be superfluous. But, of course, consider your family’s preferences.

Enjoy your meal!