It's not always easy to reflect on what we should be thankful for. The weather is bleak, the news often bleaker... But for this American, that’s what November is for.
Even though I’ve been an American abroad for 12 years, I still celebrate Thanksgiving each year. It’s not only because it’s a good excuse to get creative in the kitchen, or because the holiday is the perfect way to bring together your favourite people for food, drink, and merriment (the older I get, the more I realise that doing so is one of the best, truest things in life). It’s also because gratitude is at the heart of Thanksgiving. Not just feeling gratitude, but looking back on a full year and actually speaking those thanks aloud.
I’ll start. I’m thankful for my friendships, for my home and its warm kitchen. I’m thankful for the small bright spots that lift the greyest days. I’m even thankful for one particular sandwich – the roast chicken sandwich at Toklas Bakery in Central London – that became a lunchtime staple this year. It is perfect in its simplicity: Just chicken, aioli and rocket on focaccia, with shards of chicken skin hidden like treasure inside.
In search of comfort this week, I decided to make a version myself. Begin with chicken thighs: Remove the skin for roasting, marinate the meat and cook in a frying pan until golden. Make aioli, adding tarragon to take it halfway to béarnaise. Add rocket and put it all together between two halves of focaccia. Serve with a good Pinot Noir, that most classic of Thanksgiving wines; Selection Massale Pinot Noir is a great bet.
And there you have it: a small but necessary comfort. Adaptable, too; you can make this with rotisserie chicken for simplicity, or even use leftover turkey. However you have it, I hope you can enjoy it with friends and that it reminds you of the small joys that make our lives worth living.
Chicken, Rocket and Aioli Sandwiches with Crispy Chicken Skin
Makes 6 sandwiches
For the marinade:
Juice of 1 lemon
100ml olive oil
4 cloves garlic
10-12 sage leaves
1 ½ teaspoons fine sea salt
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground white pepper
For the chicken:
1kg bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
2-3 tablespoons olive oil
Flaky sea salt, such as Maldon
For the aioli:
1 egg
100ml neutral oil
100ml extra-virgin olive oil
Juice of ½ lemon
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
2 cloves garlic, minced
10g tarragon leaves, very finely chopped
1. At least one hour, and up to four hours, before you plan to cook, start marinating your chicken. To make your marinade, add all of the ingredients to a blender and blend on high until mostly uniform. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed.
2. Remove the skin from the chicken thighs and set aside to use later. Meanwhile, transfer the thighs to a large nonreactive bowl and pour over the marinade, mixing well to coat. Place both the chicken thighs and the separated skin in the fridge until ready to use.
3. When ready to cook, preheat your oven to 200°C. Line a large baking tray with baking paper and spread out the chicken skins in a single layer. Season with flaky sea salt and black pepper. Cover with a second layer of baking paper and a second large baking tray; this will help keep the skins flat as they roast.
4. Once the oven is hot, roast the chicken skins for between 25-40 minutes, or until they are deeply golden-brown and crisp. Transfer to a plate lined with a paper towel and leave to cool.
5. Meanwhile, cook the chicken thighs. Add 2-3 tablespoons olive oil to a large frying pan and place over medium heat. Once hot, add half of the chicken thighs – cook in batches to avoid overcrowding the pan – and season with flaky sea salt. Cook for 5-6 minutes on the first side, or until golden-brown. Flip and cook for roughly the same time on the reverse, or until cooked through. (The chicken is cooked through when a thermometer registers a 74°C internal temperature, or until the chicken is firm and its juices run clear.)
Claire M Bullen is a professional food and travel writer and all-around lover of tasty things. You can follow her at @clairembullen. For more recipes like this, sign up to our Natural Wine Killers wine subscription - you'll receive Claire's recipe and food pairings plus expert tasting notes for three amazing wines like this one every month.
