Easy Chicken Ragu

Goodness gracious how did it ever manage to be the first day of fall?  You’d never know it by walking around DC today (hello, 90 degrees), but summer is officially gone.  What a great one it was, though.  So great, in fact, that I haven’t had a single weekend to stay home and cook for the past three months!

After a lovely summer of galavanting all over the East Coast, I’m feeling decidedly ready for fall and all the at-home coziness it brings.  I wouldn’t hate it if the weather would cooperate a little more– it’s hard to feel too cozy when you’re still cranking the AC– but we will forge ahead, regardless.

Fall is when my inner carnivore emerges in a big way.  If spring and summer are all about vibrant fruits and vegetables, fall and winter are all about lining your bones with something hearty.  That brings its challenges when it comes to food blogging– stews and roasts aren’t quite as photogenic as their vegetal counterparts– but food doesn’t need to be pretty to be delicious!  (Disclaimer: this is coming from a native of Rochester, NY– home of the “garbage plate”– so my perspective may be a little skewed by regional bias.)

Ragus are magically easy but they taste like they take a lot of work (or at least a lot of time).  This, my friends, is what we call a win-win.  This ragu uses bacon, tomato paste, and red wine to build in lots of flavor relatively quickly, leaving you to peep more leaves and pick more apples.  You’re only one hour on the stovetop away from the perfect meal as temps drop (assuming they do, someday).

Chicken Ragu

• 6 slices thick Bacon, diced
• 1 Onion, diced
• 2 cloves Garlic, minced
• 5 sprigs fresh Thyme, chopped
• 1.5 lbs. boneless skinless Chicken Thighs
• 2 T. Tomato Paste (pro tip: freeze the rest in 1 T. dollops to keep the remainder of the can from going bad in your fridge)
• 1 c. Red Wine (this is not the time to break out your good stuff.  Use something cheap enough to cook with, but not so cheap that drinking what’s left of the bottle will be unpleasant!)
• 2 c. Chicken Stock
• grated Pecorino, if desired

Cook bacon over medium-low heat in a heavy-bottomed pot or dutch oven.  When bacon has begun to crisp and fat has rendered, remove bacon with a slotted spoon to a paper towel.  Cook onions, garlic, and thyme in bacon fat until softened.  Push onion mixture to the side and add chicken thighs, cooking for a few minutes on each side (don’t sear, just cook gently).  Add tomato paste, stirring until combined.  Deglaze the pot with the red wine, scraping the bottom with your spoon to loosen any magical caramelized bits.  Add chicken stock and toss in bacon bits.  Bring mixture to a boil, then reduce to a simmer.  Simmer for about an hour, or until chicken comes apart easily with a fork.  Using two forks, shred the chicken.  Simmer for a few minutes longer.  Serve over gnocchi like I did, or any other starch you like.  Top with Pecorino, to taste.

GUYS I’m so ready for plaid and pretty foliage and cider and warm socks.  And pie.  My god, pie.  Ain’t fall the best?