Braised Italian Chicken With Green Beans Tomatoes Olives Recipes

ITALIAN BRAISED CHICKEN WITH TOMATOES AND OLIVES

Steps:

• Set your oven to 400 degrees.
• Heat the oil in a large, ovenproof pan over medium-high heat. Add the chicken thighs to the pan, skin side up. Season the chicken skin with a pinch of salt and a little pepper on each piece. Once some of the fat has been released into the pan, flip the chicken over and cook until the skin is brown and crispy, about 7-8 minutes. If using skinless thighs, cook them until the meat starts to brown. Remove the chicken from the pan. (While the chicken is cooking, prep the rest of the ingredients.)
• Pour out all but a few teaspoons of the oil. Add the onion to the pan and let it cook until soft, about 3-4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute more. Add the tomato paste to the pan and let it cook until it has darkened slightly and is fragrant smelling, about 3 minutes.
• Add all the remaining ingredients to the pan and stir well. Season to taste with sea salt and black pepper. Nestle the chicken back into the pan, skin side up. Pop the chicken into the oven and let it cook for 40 minutes. Remove the chicken from the oven and serve it right away.

BRAISED CHICKEN WITH GREEN BEANS, TOMATOES AND BALSAMIC VINEGAR

Steps:

• Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position; heat oven to 350 degrees. Season chicken thighs with salt and pepper. Heat oil in nonreactive Dutch oven over medium-high heat until shimmering but not smoking; add chicken thighs skin-side down and cook without moving them until skin is crisped and well browned, 10 to 12 minutes. Using tongs, turn chicken pieces and brown on second side, about 5 minutes longer; transfer thighs to large plate.
• Pour off all but 1 teaspoon fat from pot. Add onion and tomato paste and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally and scraping bottom of pot with wooden spoon, until tomato paste begins to darken, about 4 minutes (if bottom of pot becomes very dark and sticky, stir in 1 to 2 tablespoons water, juice from tomatoes or some of chicken broth).
• Add garlic and anchovy and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 1 minute.
• Stir in tomatoes, chicken broth, and wine, scraping up browned bits with wooden spoon.
• Add red pepper flakes, thyme, and bay.
• Remove and discard skin from chicken thighs, then submerge chicken bone-side up in liquid, adding any chicken juices accumulated on plate.
• Increase heat to high, bring to simmer, cover, then place pot in oven.
• After 30 minutes add green beans. Cook chicken for another 10 minutes or until done (when it offers no resistance when poked with tip of paring knife but meat still clings to bone).
• While chicken cooks, simmer balsamic vinegar in 8-inch nonreactive skillet over medium-high heat until thick, syrupy, and reduced to 1/4 cup, 3 to 5 minutes (begin measuring volume when vinegar begins to cling to sides of saucepan). Set aside.
• Using slotted spoon, transfer chicken to plate and tent with foil (I don't always tent it, too lazy); discard bay leaf.
• Bring liquid in Dutch oven to simmer over medium-high heat and cook until the beans are of the tenderness you like.
• Stir about 1/3 cup sauce into balsamic reduction to loosen, then stir mixture into sauce; adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.
• Return chicken and accumulated juices to sauce, cook long enough to warm chicken, turning once or twice. Serve immediately.

BRAISED CHICKEN THIGHS WITH BELL PEPPERS, OLIVES AND TOMATOES

Steps:

• In a Dutch oven (5-quart pot with a tight-fitting lid), warm oil over medium heat.
• Season chicken with salt and pepper, and cook until browned, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate.
• Add bell peppers, onion, and garlic to pot; cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5-7 minutes.
• If using whole tomatoes, gently crush tomatoes with your hands; add them to the pot along with their juice. If using canned crushed tomatoes, empty can into pot.
• Add the pitted and quartered olives, the bay leaf, paprika, thyme, and water to the pot. Bring to a boil. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
• Return chicken to pot; reduce heat. Simmer, partially covered, until chicken is falling-apart tender, about 30-45 minutes.
• Discard bay leaf, serve hot over cooked pasta or rice.