Baked Chicken in Parmesan and Roasted Garlic Sauce

Baked chicken in a flavorful sauce. Reduced fat. Fresh herbs. Easy to make. What’s not to like? After a short prep time you leave it in the oven until you’re ready so its easy to deal with an erratic family schedule or tardy guests. Enjoy!

• Ready In: 1 hr
• Yields: 8 thighs

Ingredients

• 8  chicken thighs (bone in, skin removed)
•  olive oil (for browning)
• 2  tablespoons dry sherry
• 1  cup  chicken stock (see note)
• 1  teaspoon fresh thyme
• 4  roasted garlic, cloves
• 1  cup milk
• 8  ounces cream cheese, softened
• 1⁄2 cup parmesan cheese, grated
•  salt (optional)
•  fresh ground black pepper
• 1  tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped
• 1  lb  egg noodles, cooked according to package directions

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Squeeze roasted garlic from the papery peels and mash well.
3. Heat olive oil in a large, heavy skillet then brown chicken thighs thoroughly over medium-high heat. Work in batches removing each batch to a 13X9 pan in the oven as they finish.
4. Reduce heat to medium. Deglaze pan with sherry.
5. Add chicken stock (see note), thyme, and the roasted garlic. Simmer 2 minutes.
6. Add milk. Add cream cheese in small blobs.
7. Bring to simmer, whisking in the cream cheese until smooth.
8. Add salt (if using), pepper, and parsley. Whisk in Parmesan until melted.
9. Pour sauce over chicken pieces and return to oven for about 1/2 hour or until chicken thighs are thoroughly cooked.
10. Remove chicken to a serving platter. Toss sauce with noodles.
11. Serve with a green vegetable (I recommend broccoli or an Italian vegetable mix), or a salad.
12. Note: If you don’t have homemade chicken stock please use a quality soup base (I like Tones), rather than bullion, which is apt to be too salty when combined with the Parmesan.
13. Note: If you want a thicker sauce reduce the chicken stock to 1/2 cup.