Looking for a creative chicken thigh recipe to mix up your weeknight dinner routine? Buttermilk Habanero Chicken Stew is creamy, spicy dish that’s soothingly delicious when temperatures start to drop. Use readily available pantry ingredients to make this intensely flavorful and comforting gluten-free, one-pot chicken stew.
Jump headfirst into fall with this Buttermilk Habanero Chicken stew. This hearty meal is peppery, tangy, and a little bit sweet. Only 7 ingredients are needed, and many are in your pantry right now. High octane comfort food coming right up. Gluten-free, high in protein, and seriously good.
I owe this recipe to the farmer’s market. I felt inspired to use the lovely (and somewhat dangerous) habanero peppers I found on my Saturday morning excursion; combing through the produce in each booth is one of my favorite things to do! The market is full of early autumn blooms, pumpkins, and beautiful local vegetables that I’m grateful to access. As a result, I’m having fun in the kitchen celebrating this season of bounty.
*The chicken thighs were also a market find – if you’re in the Nashville area, get your humanely raised, antibiotic-free poultry at Pure Pasture Farms.
Buttermilk and chicken go way back, but the addition of habanero and honey really makes these flavors sing. This recipe is perfect for weeknight dinners that need to be healthy and easy. So, dig those thighs out of the freezer and make this yummy chicken stew tonight!
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Buttermilk Habanero Chicken Stew
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 4 large bone-in chicken thighs about 2 lbs
- 1/2 cup diced onion
- 1/4 cup minced habanero pepper *1/3 cup for extra heat
- 1 cup tomato, roughly chopped
- 2 cup broth or water
- 1 cup buttermilk divided into 3/4 and 1/4 cup
- 1/4 cup honey
Instructions
- Place dutch oven (or large saucepan)on medium-high heat, swirling olive oil to coat bottom evenly. When a bit of smoke appears, place chicken thighs skin side down in pan. Sear until skin is a deep golden brown and crisp, or 3-5 minutes. Remove thighs and set aside.
- Sautee onions and peppers in fat remaining in pan. Cook slowly until onions are caramelized. Reduce heat and add thighs, tomatoes, broth, and buttermilk. Cover and let simmer for 50-55 minutes. Taste stew and season generously with salt and pepper.
- Remove chicken thighs, let cool slightly, and debone-making sure to remove any cartilage or excess fat. Using a shredder or fork tines, tear chicken into bite sized strips. Add back to buttermilk texture. Finish by gently stirring in honey and remaining 1/4 cup buttermilk.
Notes
- Be sure to season chicken well with salt and pepper before browning When working with habanero peppers, be relentless about hand washing. You don’t want to accidentally get that stuff in your eye.
- I used skin-on, bone-in thighs for optimal flavor, but use what you have! Smaller or skinless thighs will have a significantly lower browning time.
- If you want to kick the heat up a notch, add additional habanero in 1/2 tbsp increments to suit your taste.
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