Stephanie Cmar’s Sweet & Spicy Recipe for Chicken Legs

This recipe for Chicken Legs with California Prunes from Top Chef Stephanie Cmar is packed with flavor. It’s easy enough for a weeknight but impressive enough for guests! The heat from the ancho chiles is balanced with sweet and tangy California Prunes. We recommend serving it with rice, mashed potatoes or flour tortillas to help soak up the delicious sauce.

Who is Stephanie Cmar?

Stephanie is a 3-time contestant on Top Chef, most recently appearing in Top Chef All Stars 17. After immersing herself in the Boston restaurant scene, Stephanie realized she wanted to be closer to the people she was cooking for. She now works as a private chef and consultant, giving her the personal connections she craved.

What’s in Stephanie’s Sweet and Spicy Chicken Legs

Stephanie’s Chicken Legs are a perfectly balanced mix of sweet and savory notes! California Prunes lend natural sweetness, ancho chiles give this dish smoky spice and miso paste adds an alluring umami. Here’s the full list of ingredients:

Chicken Legs

Ancho Chiles

Red Onion

Garlic

Miso Paste

Prunes

Sherry Vinegar & Sherry Wine

Chicken Stock

Cumin

Cilantro

Why we love this recipe for chicken legs

The ingredients are available in most well stocked pantries AND it comes together in mere minutes. In less than a half hour, you can have this dish on the table – and since it all cooks in one pot, clean up should be a breeze!

What to serve with Sweet and Spicy Chicken Legs

The sauce is the star of this dish, so you want to make sure you’ve got a delicious way to mop it all up. Serve Stephanie’s chicken on top of mashed potatoes or rice, or scoop up the sauce with a crusty baguette or flour tortillas.

Top Chef Stephanie Cmar’s Sweet and Spicy Recipe for Chicken Legs

Stephanie Cmar

This recipe for Chicken Legs with California Prunes from Top Chef Stephanie Cmar is packed with flavor. It's easy enough for a weeknight but impressive enough for guests! The heat from the ancho chiles is balanced with sweet and tangy California Prunes. We recommend serving it with rice, mashed potatoes or flour tortillas to help soak up the delicious sauce.

5 from 4 votes

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Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 30 minutes mins

Total Time 45 minutes mins

Course Dinner, Entree

Cuisine Chef Created

Servings 4

Calories 521 kcal

Ingredients

 

US CustomaryMetric

 

1x2x3x

• 2 dried ancho chiles
• 1 TBSP canola oil
• 2 lb of chicken legs
• Salt and ground black pepper
• 1 small red onion chopped
• 2 large cloves garlic sliced thin
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• 1 cup chicken stock
• ¼ cup sherry wine
• 1 TBSP white miso
• 16 pitted California Prunes
• 2 TBSP sherry vinegar
• 1 TBSP chopped cilantro leaves

Instructions

 

• Place chiles in a small bowl, cover with boiling water and set aside. Heat oil in a large sauté pan. Pat chicken legs dry with a paper towel and dust pieces with salt and pepper. Sear on medium-high heat until browned on both sides, removing pieces to a platter when done. Reduce heat to low.
• Add onion and garlic and sauté until soft. Add the cumin, stir, and then add stock and sherry. Combine then stir in miso. Remove from heat.
• Drain chiles, cut in half and remove seeds and cores. Chop chiles and add to sauce along with prunes. Stir.
• Return chicken and any chicken juices to pan. Try to cover the chicken with sauce. Cover and simmer on low 20 minutes, basting once more, until chicken is thoroughly cooked. Remove meat to a serving dish. Add vinegar to pan, bring to a simmer and stir.
• Add salt if needed, and a little water, if sauce has reduced too much. Spoon sauce and prunes over chicken. Scatter cilantro on top and serve.

Video

Notes

If you love this recipe for chicken legs, you’ll probably love Chef Stephanie Cmar’s other delicious recipes featuring California Prunes:

• Top Chef Stephanie Cmar’s Amazing Braised Short Ribs
• Beef Stew with Red Wine

Nutrition

Calories: 521kcalCarbohydrates: 45gProtein: 27gFat: 27gSaturated Fat: 6gPolyunsaturated Fat: 6gMonounsaturated Fat: 11gTrans Fat: 0.1gCholesterol: 122mgSodium: 374mgPotassium: 1033mgFiber: 9gSugar: 25gVitamin A: 5092IUVitamin C: 9mgCalcium: 61mgIron: 3mg

Keyword chicken, chicken legs, comfort food, spicy

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What’s the secret ingredient in Teri‘s Caramelized Onions? California Prunes! She calls her Sweet and Savory Caramelized Onions a “magic elixir” and we agree. Grilled cheese sandwiches have never tasted better. 

Did you try this recipe for chicken legs? Maybe you’ve got a favorite recipe using California Prunes that you’d like to share with us? Snap a pic and share it on social using #caprunes.

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