Crispy Chicken Thighs with Peppercorn Sauce

crispy skin chicken thighs with a rich peppercorn sauce is the kind of dinner that feels fancy but comes together in one pan 🍗🖤 served over buttery mashed potatoes with sautéed squash on the side. the sauce alone is worth making this on repeat (especially with steak) 🫶

Ingredients

Chicken

• 4 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs

• salt and pepper, to taste

• 1 tsp garlic powder

• 1 tsp onion powder

• 1 tsp cumin powder

• 1 tsp smoked paprika

• 1 tbsp avocado oil (or any neutral oil)

Peppercorn Sauce

• 1 tbsp whole peppercorns, crushed

• 3 tbsp butter, divided

• 1 shallot, minced

• 3 cloves garlic, minced

• 1/2 cup chicken broth

• 1/3 cup brandy or cognac

• 1/2 cup heavy cream

Mashed Potatoes

• 4 large yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cubed

• 2 tbsp salted butter

• ¼ cup milk

• 2 tbsp onion and chive cream cheese (my secret ingredient)

• salt and pepper, to taste

• fresh parsley, chopped, for garnish

Sautéed Squash

• 1 yellow squash, sliced into rounds

• 1 tbsp olive oil (or any neutral oil)

• 2 cloves garlic, minced

• salt and pepper, to taste

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Serves 2-3

Prep time ~15 mins

Cook time ~ 40 mins

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Cooking Instructions

WASH YOUR VEGGIES

• Wash and prep your veggies and herbs before getting started.

Cook the potatoes

• Add cubed potatoes to a pot of cold salted water. Bring to a boil and cook for 15 minutes, until fork tender.

• Drain and mash with butter, milk, and the onion and chive cream cheese until smooth. Season with salt and pepper and set aside, covered, to keep warm.

  • if you don’t have onion and chive cream cheese, you can skip it. I always have it in my fridge and it adds creaminess and delicious onion and chive flavors to the mashed potatoes!

Sear the chicken

• Pat chicken thighs dry and season generously with salt and pepper on both sides.

• Heat avocado oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat, working in batches if needed so the thighs aren't crowded. Place chicken skin side down and sear for 6-7 minutes, until deeply golden and crispy.

• Flip and cook another 6-8 minutes, until cooked through. Remove chicken from the skillet and set aside, reserving the drippings.

• Chicken should have an internal temp 165°F, if it’s not pop them in the oven at 350 until it reaches the expected temp while you make everything else!

Make the peppercorn sauce

• In the same skillet, add the crushed peppercorns and toast over medium-high heat for 1-2 minutes to bring out their oils.

• Add 2 tbsp butter and let it melt, then sauté the shallot and garlic for 1-2 minutes until softened.

• Carefully pour in the beef broth and brandy, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Bring to a boil and cook for 7-8 minutes, until reduced.

• Add the heavy cream and continue cooking, stirring constantly, until the sauce thickens and coats the back of a spoon, about 5 minutes.

• Remove from the heat and whisk in the remaining 4 tbsp butter until glossy. Season with salt to taste.

Sauté the squash

• While the sauce simmers, heat olive oil in a separate skillet over medium-high heat.

• Add squash in a single layer and cook for 3-4 minutes per side until golden. Add garlic in the last minute, season with salt and pepper.

Assemble

• Plate mashed potatoes alongside the chicken thigh and sauteed squash. Spoon peppercorn sauce over the chicken or serve on the side.

• Garnish potatoes with fresh parsley and serve immediately.

Tips & Notes

• Don't move the chicken while it sears — letting the skin sit undisturbed is what makes it crispy.

• Freshly crushed whole peppercorns make a big difference here over pre-ground pepper.

• The onion and chive cream cheese is my secret to my mashed potatoes because i always have it on hand for breakfast :)

• No brandy or cognac on hand? You can leave it out, the sauce will just be a touch less rich.

• This one reheats well, just add a splash of cream to loosen the sauce back up.