Recipe Review: Jacques Pépin’s Easy Chicken Au Four

It’s been a while since I’ve done a recipe post, so let me introduce you to this TikTok chef I found — Jacques Pépin. Of course, I know who he is: a French culinary legend with 24 James Beard Foundation Awards.

Pépin didn’t merely win these awards, he knows James Beard well. In one TikTok, Pépin shows the world how to make Beard’s famous (or infamous depending upon the extent to which you love them) onion sandwich. My wife was horrified seeing that because she knows how much I love onions.

But this recipe was not that.

This recipe was my favorite kind of recipe — easy. It was so easy that not even I could mess it up. Better yet, it only required four ingredients: chicken thighs, potatoes, onion, and garlic.

So, here’s what I did: I sliced two potatoes with the skins on. I sliced one onion, and then I put both into an oven-safe skillet with lots of olive oil drizzled at the bottom of it.

The comes two tsp of minced garlic from the fridge.

Lots of salt and pepper.

I took a package of chicken thighs and liberally rubbed them in smoked paprika, salt and pepper, placing them on top of my potato-onion-garlic mixture atop a low flame.

Meanwhile, I’m preheating the oven to 425 degrees. Once it’s there, I put the pan in for 30 minutes, making sure in the end that the chicken thighs were at least 170-175 degrees.

I know this isn’t fancy, but I enjoy cooking — and it’s gratifying to give Kristi the night off from it, although she loves it, too! She’s just much better at it than I am.

But this was a home run and super easy, and — hey — it came from a James Beard award winner!

https://www.tiktok.com/@jacquespespin44/video/7301121152485723425