Cooking Lesson #330: Smothered Chicken Thighs—Keto Style

…from the California Kitchen

credit: healthleisures.com

How you doin’? The ketogenic (Keto) diet is a high-fat, adequate-protein, low-carbohydrate diet that in medicine was used mainly to treat hard-to-control epilepsy in children. The diet forces the body to burn fats rather than carbohydrates.
 
As early as 400 BC physicians of ancient Greece treated diseases, including epilepsy, by altering their patients' diet. An early treatise in the Hippocratic Corpus, On the Sacred Disease, its author argued against the prevailing view that epilepsy was supernatural in origin and cure and proposed that dietary therapy had a rational and physical basis.
 
The first modern study of fasting as a treatment for epilepsy was in France in 1911. Twenty epilepsy patients of all ages were "detoxified" by consuming a low-calorie vegetarian diet, combined with periods of fasting and purging. Two benefited enormously, but most failed to maintain compliance with the strict imposed restrictions. The diet improved the patients' mental capabilities, in contrast to their medication, potassium bromide, which dulled the mind. A side effect was weight loss.
 
It is claimed because the keto diet is a low carb, high fat diet it offers many health claimed benefits. Many studies show that this type of diet can help you lose weight (Mayo Clinic) and improve your overall health. Some claim that Ketogenic diets may even have added benefits against diabetes, cancer, epilepsy and Alzheimer’s disease. Before you embark on any diet, consult a trusted medical professional.
 
Prep time:  10 minutes
Cook time:  50 minutes
Yield:  4 servings
 
Ingredients 
4 (8-ounces) skin-on, bone-in chicken thighs
1 teaspoon paprika
salt and pepper to taste
4 slices bacon, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1/3 cup low-sodium chicken broth
4 ounces sliced mushrooms
1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
2 green onions, white and green parts separated and sliced
 
Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 400⁰ F.
2. Season chicken thighs on all sides with paprika, salt and pepper.
3. Cook bacon in a cast iron skillet or oven-safe pan over medium-high heat until browned, 4 to 5 minutes.
4. Remove from skillet and drain on a paper towel-lined plate.
5. Drain and discard excess grease from skillet.
6. Return skillet to medium heat and cook chicken thighs, skin-side down, for 3 to 4 minutes. Flip chicken over and place skillet in the preheated oven.
7. Bake until chicken thighs are no longer pink at the bone and juices run clear, about 30 minutes. An instant-read thermometer inserted near the bone should read 165⁰.
8. Remove chicken to a plate and cover with foil to keep warm.
9. Remove all but 2 tablespoons drippings from skillet.
10. Return skillet to the stove over medium-high heat. Pour in chicken broth while whisking up brown bits from the bottom of the skillet.
11. Add the mushrooms and cook until soft, about 3 to 4 minutes.
12. Pour in heavy whipping cream and whisk together until lightly simmering, then reduce heat to medium-low.
13. Season with salt and pepper, if necessary.
14. Return chicken and any juices back into skillet, top with bacon pieces and green onions.
15. Serve immediately, spooning sauce over the chicken.

ChefSecret: Always check with your doctor before going on a Keto Diet.

Quip of the Day: “The hen was home-schooling her unruly chick. She was overheard saying, I sat on you and brought you into the world; I can sit on you and take you out.”
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