Chicken Agrodolce with charred cabbage

A recipe from the new La Copine cookbook.

Recently, I chatted with with Claire Wadsworth and Nikki Hill about their restaurant, why it was the right time for a cookbook, their style of California cuisine, and showing up for themselves and their community. The La Copine Cookbook is an archive of the restaurant’s first decade and a blueprint for living life on one’s own terms. The book has recipes that span the whole day — from late breakfasts to dinner — and reflect their unique style of high desert cooking.

Today, we have a recipe from their new book. This sweet, spicy, and charred chicken is the perfect recipe to make now that the temps are finally heating up. Fire up the grill and grab some friends!

Chicken Agrodolce with charred cabbage, tahini dressing, mint, scallions, and Fresno chile agrodolce

After so many years of being known for our fried chicken, we needed a break from it! So we turned from the fryer to the grill, with orange chicken as our inspiration. We wanted the chicken to be crunchy and tender at the same time, and have all those spicy, sweet, and sour notes—but the La Copine way. We brine the chicken thighs, then parcook them at a low temperature before skewering and grilling them. Once they’re ready to go, they get brushed with a smoked paprika–starch slurry to crisp the chicken up on the grill. The chile agrodolce glaze is sweet and spicy with plenty of tang to keep all the flavors in balance.

Served atop charred napa cabbage, dressed with a creamy tahini sauce, and finished with mint leaves and scallions for a cooling herbal note, it was just the vacation we needed —and we think you’ll love it too!