Country Braised Chicken Recipes

COUNTRY BRAISED CHICKEN

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Put the olive oil in a large, heavy-bottomed braising pan over medium-high heat. Generously season both sides of chicken legs with salt and pepper. When the oil is slightly smoking, add chicken legs and brown, about 5 minutes per side.
• While chicken is browning, peel and chop the carrots; dice the celery and onion. (All the pieces should be about the same size.) Make sure the chicken is browning evenly on both sides.When the chicken is nicely browned, remove from the pan and set aside. Add vegetables to the pan, stir to combine, and reduce heat to medium. Next, peel and lightly smash the garlic; add to pan. Sweat the vegetables for 5 minutes, being careful not to brown. Season lightly with salt and pepper.
• Add tomato paste, raise the temperature to medium-high, and stir to incorporate; the tomato paste will begin to stick to the bottom of the pan as it browns. Deglaze pan with cognac in two additions (being careful for flare-ups!). Let the alcohol cook off until the pan is almost dry, stirring the vegetables and scraping down the sides of the pan to prevent burning. Add white wine and allow it to reduce. Add parsley, bay leaves, thyme, and rosemary to the pan; then spread the chicken pieces on top in an even layer. Pour in just enough chicken broth to cover the meat halfway without submerging. Bring to a simmer, then cover the pan and place in the preheated oven for 35-40 minutes.
• Remove from oven and place chicken legs on a rimmed serving platter. Strain cooking liquid into a small saucepan, reserving vegetables. Over medium to high heat, reduce liquid at a simmer until it is thick enough to thinly coat a spoon. Taste, and adjust seasoning as needed. To plate: Place chicken on a plate and add some reserved vegetables. Pour reduced sauce generously over each serving. Garnish with torn parsley leaves and serve.

COUNTRY BRAISED CHICKEN

Steps:

• Using a sharp knife, remove and discard rib portion from breast halves.
• Then cut each remaining breast portion in half, making 4 comparably-sized pieces.
• Combine flour, onion powder, garlic powder, pepper and salt.
• Place in shallow dish or plastic bag.
• Pour milk into shallow dish.
• Heat oil in skillet (a heavy or copper-bottom pan works well) over high heat.
• As oil is heating, dip each chicken piece in milk and coat thoroughly with flour mixture.
• When oil begins to bubble, place each chicken piece skin-side down in the skillet.
• Brown thoroughly on every side.
• Remove browned chicken from pan.
• Carefully pour off excess oil.
• Deglaze pan by carefully pouring in about 2 Tbl of wine, swirling it around the pan and discarding it.
• (You may use broth for this step if omitting the wine.) Return pan to heat.
• Add chicken broth and wine (or just broth if omitting the wine).
• Return chicken to pan.
• Slice onion into 1/2" rings and lay them atop the chicken.
• Add parsley over all.
• Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer 45 minutes or until chicken juices run clear when pierced with a fork.
• Check only twice during cooking to ensure the pan retains adequate liquid.
• When chicken is done, remove from pan.
• Boil down (if necessary) remaining liquids to a thick broth.
• Serve chicken breasts covered with onion and parsley broth.
• Serves 4.
• NOTE: This recipe was tested at high altitude.
• You may need to reduce the amount of liquid and/or the cooking time.
• Serve this dish with a tossed salad in the summer and with steamed whole green beans in winter.
• Goes great with a nice blush wine from your local vineyard.

BRAISED CHICKEN WITH COUNTRY HAM AND TURNIPS WITH THEIR GREENS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375°F.
• Rinse the chicken, pat dry, and remove any excess fat. Season all over with salt and pepper to taste. Lightly dust each piece, skin side only, with the flour.
• Heat the olive oil in a large ovenproof, nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until sizzling hot (see Know-how, page 100). Add the chicken and brown for about 5 minutes per side.
• Remove the chicken from the skillet to a plate and set aside. Add the turnips and ham and cook and stir for about 2 minutes, until the ham is slightly crispy. Add the garlic and cook and stir for 1 minute more. Add the broth and rosemary, scrape up all the brown bits from the bottom of the pan, and bring to a low boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and return the chicken to the skillet, skin side up, along with any juice that has collected in the bottom of the plate.
• Place the skillet in the oven to roast for about 30 minutes, basting the chicken with the cooking liquid several times, until cooked through and the juices run clear when the thickest part of the thigh is pierced with the tip of a small knife.
• Remove from the oven and transfer the chicken to a large serving platter, loosely covered to keep warm. Add the turnip greens to the skillet, place over medium heat, and cook and stir until just wilted and tender, 3 to 5 minutes. Arrange the turnips and greens around the chicken, spoon the broth and ham on top, and serve warm.