Chicken Braise

Description

This is more of a blueprint on how to make a braise with Chicken as the protein and substitutable vegetables

Ingredients

• Chicken (bone-in) (Bone-in skin-on thighs are what I always use because they are forgiving. Legs Wings probably good too, just would avoid breast)
• Vegetables (Onions, Root Vegetables, and Garlic works for me. I often do Carrots + Onions + Potatoes/Beets + Cabbage, but you could just as easily do apples + sweet potatoes or anything else)
• Grain (Couscous, Barley, Rice, Rice Pilaf, or omit)
• Stock (Chicken, Beef, Vegetable, or even a bunch of alcohol)
• Salt to taste (a few four finger pinches)
• Acid (Lemon, Apple Cider Vinegar, Wine, etc.)
• Herbs/Seasoning (Often I do Sage, Thyme, Rosemary + Paprika on the chicken, sometimes I do Cumin, Coriander, chili powder/chipotles. Really versatile here whatever works with the vegetables)
• Garnish (Parsley almost universally works here, so do chives and green onions or more of whatever herbs you use)

Steps

1. Season chicken with salt all over while you heat up your Dutch oven (5-7 qt) or large saute pan (3-4 qt)
2. Chop vegetables into whatever shape makes sense to you. They'll need to survive 30 minutes at 375 later
3. Set oven to Bake at 375 Farenheit
4. Set your grain cooking however it is meant to be cooked
5. Heat up cooking surface then add oil, and add chicken skin side down. It should sizzle, if not, remove and wait until it sizzles
6. Season the other side of the chicken with salt. When the skin releases from the pan and is golden brown, flip the chicken.
7. When that side releases from the pan and looks slightly browned and a good fond has developed, remove the chicken and put aside on a plate
8. Add onions and garlic (and any aromatics that benefit from hot oil blooming) if you got it at this stage and cook in chicken fat/oil/fond until fond gets too dark for comfort. Deglaze with your acid or just some water
9. Add the rest of your vegetables and seasonings that can still handle a bit of high heat
10. Cook for maybe 5 minutes no more, then add stock until top of vegetables are slightly uncovered
11. Nestle the chicken atop the vegetables with the skin-side up so that it's kind of half in the liquid but the skin is not touching liquid at all. Add paprika to skin if you got it
12. Put pan/dutch oven in the oven for ~30 minutes or until chicken thighs register a safe temperature (165+ but thighs are forgiving if you overcook b/c collagen breaks down)
13. Plate with some grain as the bed or on the side, then Ladle some braisy-soupy vegetables on top or next to your grain
14. Put a chicken on the plate where it feels right and enjoy!