DINNER MENU Be a chicken-thigh master with this one-skillet dish

By JOE GRAY
CHICAGO TRIBUNE
A good break from the ubiquitous deboned, skinned chicken breasts are thighs. They can do about anything breasts can do but will cook faster and have a richer flavor.
This dish with chicken thighs can be cooked in one skillet and served in one bowl, cutting down on cooking fuss and cleanup. When wilting the arugula, take care not to overcook. This green is tender and will lose all character if wilted as long as spinach. A little balsamic vinegar adds a lot of flavor to this dish, its sweetness complementing the chicken and the arugula. Cooking the onion just briefly allows it to keep its crunch, a nice contrast to the tender chicken.
A green salad would be redundant with this, but a simple dish of orange sections and julienned fennel bulb drizzled with a good olive oil and a little black pepper would go nicely.
MENU
Chicken thighs with onions and wilted arugula
Fennel bulb and orange salad
Crusty bread
Brownies with mango sorbet
Shiraz
TIPS
Substitute other greens, such as spinach or Swiss chard, making sure to lengthen the wilting time.
Use white wine or a medium-body red instead of the vinegar; but if you do, leave out the orange juice.
CHICKEN THIGHS WITH ONIONS AND WILTED ARUGULA
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 red onion, halved, sliced
8 chicken thighs, trimmed
1 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground pepper
1/4 cup orange juice
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 bunch arugula (about 4 cups) or 1 bunch baby spinach, coarsely chopped
Heat oil in large skillet over medium-high heat; add onion. Cook until it begins to soften, about 4 minutes. Remove from skillet; keep warm.
Season chicken with salt and pepper; transfer to skillet. Cook, turning, until brown on both sides, about 4 minutes per side. Pour orange juice and vinegar over chicken. Cover; reduce heat to simmer. Cook until chicken is cooked through, about 20 minutes; remove chicken from skillet; keep warm.
Increase heat to high; add arugula to skillet. Cook, stirring, until it just begins to wilt, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat. For each serving, place some arugula in a bowl; top with 2 chicken thighs. Top with onions.
Yield: 4 servings.
Nutrition information per serving: 365 calories, 56 percent of calories from fat, 22 g fat, 6 g saturated fat, 114 mg cholesterol, 6 g carbohydrates, 33 g protein, 687 mg sodium, 0.7 g fiber.