Smoked Honey Chicken Thighs with Peaches

Crisp chicken skin and a honey glaze need different timing. Roast the thighs bare until the fat starts to render and the skin turns golden, then brush on TGCS Co Smoked Honey Mustard so it bubbles into a lacquer instead of burning before the chicken is cooked. Firm peaches go onto the same pan for the last stretch, where their edges slump and caramelize but the wedges still hold together. You get crackling skin, sticky smoke and honey, and enough peach juice in the pan to drag every bite through it. Serves 4.

What you need

Food:

8 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs, about 1.5 kg (similar-sized thighs finish together. Boneless thighs cook faster and will need a shorter first roast.)

2 firm-ripe peaches, pitted and cut into 8 wedges each (soft peaches collapse on the pan. Nectarines work with the same timing.)

5 tbsp TGCS Co Smoked Honey Mustard, divided

1 tbsp apple cider vinegar

1 tbsp neutral oil, plus a little for the peaches

1 garlic clove, finely grated

1 1/2 tsp kosher salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

2 tbsp sliced chives or torn flat-leaf parsley

Equipment:

Large rimmed sheet pan (use a bare metal pan, not glass. Metal gives the chicken skin better heat underneath.)

Small bowl

Pastry brush or spoon

Tongs

Instant-read thermometer

How to cook it

1. Heat the oven to 425 F with a rack in the upper third. Put the empty sheet pan in the oven for 8 minutes while you prepare the chicken. A hot pan starts rendering the underside the moment the thighs land.
2. Pat the chicken completely dry with paper towel, especially the skin. Season all over with the salt and pepper. DO NOT PUT SAUCE ON YET. Honey on wet, raw skin burns before the skin has a chance to crisp.
3. Carefully pull the hot pan from the oven. Add the neutral oil and tilt the pan to coat it, then set the thighs skin-side up with space between them. Roast for 20 minutes without opening the oven.
4. While the chicken roasts, whisk 4 tbsp of TGCS Co Smoked Honey Mustard with the apple cider vinegar and garlic. Keep the last tablespoon of sauce separate for the finishing brush.
5. Toss the peach wedges with just enough oil to give them a light sheen and a small pinch of salt. Personally I leave the skins on, they help the wedges hold together and turn glossy at the edges.
6. After 20 minutes, pull out the pan. The chicken skin should be golden and the rendered fat should be pooling around the thighs. Brush each thigh with half of the prepared glaze, then tuck the peach wedges into the open spaces with a cut side against the hot pan.
7. Roast for 12 minutes. Turn the peaches onto their other cut side, brush the chicken with the remaining prepared glaze, and roast another 8 to 12 minutes. The glaze should be bubbling dark amber at the edges, and the thickest thigh should read at least 175 F without the thermometer touching bone. (Chicken is safe at 165 F, but thighs eat more tender around 175 to 185 F.)
8. If the skin needs more colour, switch the oven to high broil for 1 to 2 minutes. STAY AT THE OVEN. Honey can move from lacquered to scorched in seconds under a broiler.
9. Rest the chicken on the pan for 5 minutes. Brush each thigh with the reserved tablespoon of TGCS Co Smoked Honey Mustard, scatter over the chives or parsley, and spoon the warm pan juices around the peaches.
10. ENJOY!