Annes Braised Chicken Thighs Recipes

BRAISED CHICKEN WITH MUSHROOMS AND ALMONDS

Steps:

• Coat a large, wide, deep pan with olive oil and bring to a high heat. Pat the chicken skin dry with paper towels and season generously with salt. Add chicken skin side down to the pan. You should hear a big sizzle as the thighs hit the pan. Do not try to move the chicken, the skin will stick itself to the bottom of the pan and will unstick itself when it is ready. If the pan is smoking excessively turn the burner down and continue to cook. When the skin is brown and crispy, turn the chicken over and brown it on the other side. Remove the chicken from the pan and reserve.
• Lower the heat if you have not already done so and ditch most of the excess fat. Add the pancetta and brown. When the pancetta has started to get brown and crispy add the onions. Season with salt and crushed red pepper and sweat over medium heat for 7 to 8 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for another 1 to 2 minutes. Add the mushrooms, season with salt and saute for 3 to 4 minutes or until they release their juices. Add the wine and reduce by half. Return the chicken to the pan. Add chicken stock to almost cover the chicken. Add the thyme and bay leaves. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Simmer the chicken for 30 to 35 minutes. Add more chicken stock, if needed.
• While the chicken is cooking puree the almonds in the food processor. Drizzle in a little olive oil while the machine is running to make this a loose paste. Season with salt and reserve.
• Once the chicken has cooked for 30 to 35 minutes, remove it from the pan and reserve. Taste the sauce for seasoning and stir in the almond puree. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer to thicken the sauce, if needed. The almond puree will help to thicken the sauce and to make it very rich.
• Serve the chicken over Sauteed Haricots Verts or your favorite green vegetable. Spoon the mushroom almond sauce over and garnish with chopped chives.
• Bring a large pot of well salted water to a boil. Set up a bowl of well salted ice water for shocking.
• Add the beans to the boiling water and cook until the beans are tender but still toothsome about 5 to 7 minutes. Remove from the boiling water and place immediately into the salted ice water. Once the beans are cool, remove them from the water and set aside until ready to use.
• Coat a large saute pan with olive oil. Add the garlic and the crushed red pepper and bring to a medium-high heat. When the garlic has become golden and very aromatic, remove it and discard. It has fulfilled its garlic destiny. Add the beans to the pan and saute until they are hot and coated with oil. Season with salt and serve right away.
• Yield: 4 servings
• Prep time: 10 minutes
• Cook time: 10 minutes

PIZZA WITH BRAISED CHICKEN THIGHS

Steps:

• For the pizza dough: Add 1/2 cup warm water to a small bowl. (If the water is too hot, the yeast will die; if it's too cold, the yeast won't activate). Add the yeast and sugar, stir to combine and let sit for 15 minutes. The water will bubble at the surface and smell very yeasty; this is what you want.
• Combine the flour and salt in a large mixing bowl. Make a well in the center and add the olive oil and the yeast/water mixture. Using a fork, gradually stir the flour into the yeast/water. Once most of the flour is combined, turn the dough out onto a smooth, clean, flour-dusted work surface and knead until smooth.
• Lightly coat the mixing bowl with oil and return the dough to the bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and set in a warm place until the dough has doubled in size, at least 1 hour.
• For the braised chicken thighs: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Add 2 tablespoons olive oil to an oven-safe, high-sided saucepan over medium heat. When the oil is just starting to shimmer, place the chicken thighs skin-side down in the pan, being careful to not overcrowd. Cook until the skin is golden brown and releases easily from the pan, about 3 minutes. Flip the thighs and cook until golden on the reverse side, another 3 minutes. (The chicken should not be cooked through at this point, just browned.) Remove the chicken from the pan and set aside. If necessary, add another tablespoon of olive oil to the pan. Then add the onions and cook, stirring, until just translucent, about 2 minutes. Stir in the garlic. When the onions and garlic are translucent, add the tomatoes and jalapeno and stir gently to combine. Cook until the tomatoes start to release their juices, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the chicken stock, bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer.
• Return the chicken to the pan, skin-side up, and transfer to the oven. Bake until the chicken comes apart easily, another 20 to 30 minutes. Shred the chicken.
• For the pizza: When the dough is ready, portion it into 6 golf ball-size pieces. (If you're not using it right away, wrap each ball individually in plastic and refrigerate until ready to use.) Dust a work surface with flour and roll each piece of dough into a rectangle (or whatever shape you like; I like irregular shapes).
• Place a pizza stone in the oven and preheat to 450 degrees F. Dust a pizza peel with cornmeal.
• Top each pizza with some braised chicken, about 1 cup of the braising sauce and 1 cup of the Cheddar. Bake until the crust is golden brown and cooked through and the cheese has melted, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and garnish with cilantro. Slice and enjoy!

ANNE'S BRAISED CHICKEN THIGHS

Steps:

• Heat olive oil in a large, deep pan over medium high heat.
• Pat chicken skin dry, lightly season with salt and pepper, and add to pan - skin side down.
• When the skin in brown, turn the chicken over and brown the other side. About 4 minutes per side. Remove from pan.
• Drain excess oil, lower heat to medium, add pancetta and brown.
• Add onions, lightly season with salt, crushed red pepper, and cook 8 minutes.
• Add garlic and cook for a minute, then add mushrooms, lightly season with salt, and cook for about 5 minutes.
• Add the wine and cook until reduced by half.
• Return the chicken to the pan, and add enough chicken stock to almost cover the chicken, and the bay leaves and thyme. Bring to a boil, and reduce to a simmer and cook about 30-35 minutes. (add more chicken stock or water, if needed.).
• While the chickenis cooking, puree the almonds in a food processor. Drizzle in a little oil while machine is running to make a loose paste.
• Once the chicken has cooked, remove from pan. Stir in the almond puree, bring to a boil and simmer for about 5 minutes. I added a spoonfulf of flour (mixed with a little water to make a slurry) to thicken the sauce, and cooked another 5 - 10 minutes.
• Spoon sauce over the chicken.

BRAISED CHICKEN WITH TOMATILLOS AND JALAPENOS

Steps:

• For the chicken: Preheat the grill.
• Place the tomatillos and jalapenos on the grill and cook until the skins char and blister, 10 to 12 minutes. Remove the tomatillos and jalapenos from the grill and let cool.
• Coat a large, wide straight-sided saute pan with olive oil and bring to medium-high heat.
• Sprinkle the chicken generously with salt. Add the chicken legs and thighs, skin-side down, to the hot pan. Brown the chicken well on all sides. Remove from the pan and reserve.
• Ditch the excess fat from the pan and add a few drops of new oil. Add the onions, season with salt and cook until the onions are very soft and aromatic, 7 to 8 minutes.
• While the onions are cooking, coarsely chop the tomatillos and reserve. Chop the jalapenos into 1/4-inch dice and reserve with the tomatillos. If you want to tone down the heat, remove the seeds from the jalapenos before chopping.
• Add the garlic to the pan with the onions and cook for 1 to 2 minutes.
• Add the reserved tomatillos and jalapenos. Stir to combine and add the chicken stock, lime juice and zest. Taste and season with salt if needed (it probably will).
• Return the chicken to the pan and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cover. Cook for 15 minutes.
• Remove the lid and let cook for 15 more minutes. This will allow the stock to reduce. Taste for seasoning and adjust if needed.
• For the sour cream: Combine the sour cream with the lime zest and juice and reserve.
• Remove the chicken from the pan and stir in the cilantro.
• Spoon the sauce over the chicken, sprinkle with cilantro leaves and serve with the lime sour cream.
• Beverage Pairing Suggestion: Light Lager

BRAISED CHICKEN WITH MUSHROOMS, ALMONDS AND SAUTEED HARICOTS VERTS

Steps:

• Cover the dried porcinis with 2 cups hot water and allow to sit for 30 minutes to reconstitute. Remove from the liquid with a slotted spoon before using.
• Coat a large, wide, deep pan with olive oil and bring to a high heat. Pat the chicken skin dry with paper towels and season generously with salt. Add the chicken, skin side down, to the pan¿you should hear a big sizzle as the thighs hit the pan. Do not try to move the chicken; the skin will stick itself to the bottom of the pan and will unstick itself when it is ready. If the pan is smoking excessively, turn the burner down and continue cooking. When the skin is brown and crispy, turn the chicken over and brown it on the other side. Remove the chicken from the pan and reserve.
• Lower the heat if you have not already done so and ditch most of the excess fat from the pan. Add the pancetta, and brown. When the pancetta has started to get brown and crispy, add the onions. Sprinkle with salt and crushed red pepper, and sweat over medium heat for 7 to 8 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for another 1 to 2 minutes. Add the assorted mushrooms, including the porcinis, season with salt and saute until they release their juices, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the white wine and reduce by half. Return the chicken to the pan. Add the chicken stock to almost cover the chicken. Add the thyme and bay leaves. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Simmer the chicken for 30 to 35 minutes, adding more chicken stock if needed.
• While the chicken is cooking, puree the almonds in a food processor. With the motor running, drizzle in a little olive oil to make a loose paste. Season with salt and reserve.
• Once the chicken has cooked for 30 to 35 minutes, remove it from the pan and reserve. Taste the sauce for seasoning and stir in the almond puree. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer to thicken the sauce if needed; the almond puree will help to thicken the sauce and will make it very rich.
• Serve the chicken over sauteed haricots verts. Spoon the mushroom-almond sauce over the top and garnish with chopped chives.
• Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil. Set up a bowl of well-salted ice water for shocking.
• Add the haricots verts to the boiling water and cook until tender but still toothsome, 5 to 7 minutes. Remove from the boiling water and immediately plunge into the salted ice water. Once the beans are cool, remove them from the water and set aside until ready to use.
• Coat a large saute pan with olive oil. Add the garlic and the crushed red pepper and bring to a medium-high heat. When the garlic has become golden and very aromatic, remove and discard it¿it has fulfilled its garlic destiny. Add the beans to the pan and saute until hot and coated with oil. Season with salt and serve right away.

BRAISED CHICKEN WITH POMEGRANATE MOLASSES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Coat a large saute pan with olive oil. Toss in 2 of the garlic cloves and a pinch of crushed red pepper. Bring the pan to medium-high heat. When the garlic is golden and very aromatic, remove it and discard--it has fulfilled its garlic destiny.
• Season the chicken thighs with salt and place them skin side down in the pan. Don't crowd the pan or the thighs will steam instead of brown--you may have to work in batches here, no worries. Brown the chicken thighs really well on both sides, 10 to 12 minutes total.
• Transfer the chicken to a rimmed baking sheet and roast for 10 to 12 minutes or until cooked through.
• Ditch the oil from the pan and add 2 garlic cloves, 1/2 cup of the pomegranate molasses along with 1/2 cup of the chicken stock, scraping the mixture from the bottom of the pan. Add the thyme. Bring the mixture to a boil and let it evaporate by half--it should be slightly thick and syrupy. Season with salt.
• Return the chicken to the pan, along with the juices from the sheet pan, scraping up any bits. Reduce the heat to medium, and cook in the sauce for 3 to 5 minutes on each side, or until the sauce thickens and it clings to the chicken in a yummy embrace.
• While the chicken roasts, add the remaining molasses, stock, and garlic to the pan along with the thyme bundle and a pinch of crushed red pepper. Taste and season with salt if needed. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer (BTB, RTS). Cook until the liquid is thick and syrupy. Discard the garlic cloves and thyme bundle.
• Remove the chicken from the oven, transfer to a serving dish, drizzle with the sauce, and sprinkle with the pomegranate seeds and chives before serving.