Cook up a decadent yet comforting and cozy meal with this braised chicken recipe. Pan-seared then left to simmer, the meat is tender and juicy with a slightly crispy edge. Each bite is filled with a rich mixture of sweet, savory, and spicy flavors, enhanced by soft and creamy potatoes.
Even better, this braised chicken only takes less than an hour to make, with the ingredients coming straight from your pantry. Whether it’s a lavish feast or a weeknight dinner, you won’t have any trouble putting this dish on the table.
What Is Braising?
Braising is a cooking method that involves searing meat then letting it simmer slowly in a liquid like wine, broth, or sauce along with various seasonings and sometimes vegetables. The pot is often covered with foil or a lid, trapping the steam and allowing moisture to surround the food.
Since the meat is slow-cooked with the heat trapped, it usually turns out very tender and juicy. Meanwhile, the seasonings and liquids have time to thoroughly seep into the meat, creating exquisite flavor depths accompanied by a comforting warmth. As the meat is seared beforehand, there’s also a slight caramelized sweetness peeking through.
Ingredients You'll Need
As lavish as this dish looks, you’ll be surprised to know almost everything it requires are pantry staples. Take a look to see what you’ll need:
- Chicken: Since this recipe requires slow cooking, we went with bone-in skin-on chicken thighs. This meat cut is dark meat, which holds up well when being cooked for a long time thanks to its added fat content.
- Vegetable & Fruit: In braised dishes, the meat is often simmered alongside a couple of vegetables and even fruits to diversify the flavors and round out the meal. We went with baby potatoes to make the dish more filling and some lemon slices to brighten the overall taste with a citrus zing.
- Aromatics: Garlic and shallots were used to infuse the meat with peppery and earthy aromas to subtly kick the flavors up a notch.
- Seasonings: We seasoned the chicken with salt, pepper, paprika, and garlic powder, giving it a mixture of slightly spicy, smoky, and savory flavors.
- Chicken Broth: The liquid we chose to braise the chicken in is chicken broth, which deepens the dish’s overall chicken taste and gives it that comforting homemade warmth.
Is This Braised Chicken Healthy?
It certainly is.
With chicken as the main ingredient, this dish is a great source of lean protein. Chicken also provides various other essential nutrients like vitamins B12, B6, and B9, iron, choline, zinc, etc. Adding some dietary fiber to the dish, we also included a hefty side of potatoes.
Furthermore, we also made sure to keep important dietary components within acceptable limits. Following standards set by our nutrition guidelines, each serving contains approximately:
- 461 calories
- 8.1 g saturated fat
- 573 g sodium
How to Store and Reheat the Leftovers
This braised chicken dish can last for around 2 or 3 days when kept in airtight containers in the fridge. To reheat, simply put it in the microwave or give it a quick stir on the stovetop.
What to Serve With
This braised chicken dish is already quite filling on its own, so you won’t need anything too complicated to go with it. Some bread, rice, or pasta will work just fine. If you’re in the mood for some greens, we recommend the following salads:
More Really Flavorful Chicken Recipes to Try
This chicken thighs with mushrooms recipe serves juicy meat and plump mushrooms with buttery potato mash for a filling and satisfying meal. Everything is done to perfection: with burnt bits, charred marks, and the potatoes are super fluffy.
In this pesto chicken recipe, the chicken is smothered in a homemade creamy basil pesto and baked until just cooked. It highlights the basil pesto flavors and focuses on keeping the meat super juicy.
Braised Chicken Recipe
Cook up a lavish yet comforting and cozy meal with this braised chicken recipe. Pan-seared then left to simmer, the meat is tender and juicy with a slightly crispy edge. Each bite is filled with a rich mixture of savory, sweet, and spicy flavors, enhanced by soft and creamy potatoes.
- cook TIME 35 mins
- prep TIME 7 mins
- total TIME 42 mins
- COURSE Main Dish
- CUISINE American
- SERVINGS servings
- CALORIES 461 kcal
INGREDIENTS
- 18 oz skin-on bone-in chicken thighs
- 20 oz baby potato (halved)
- 2 oz lemon (thinly sliced)
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 2 oz shallot (quartered)
- 2 garlic cloves
- 2 tbsp parsley (chopped)
- 3/4 cup unsalted chicken broth
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1/2 tsp paprika
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
- 3/4 tsp salt (divided into 1/2 tsp, 1/4 tsp)
INSTRUCTIONS
Prep:
Slice the Shallot: Cut off the end and remove the papery skin. Then slice the shallot in half lengthwise, and again into quarters or any desired thickness.
Mince the Garlic: Separate the cloves then thinly slice them. Rock the knife over the sliced pieces a few times until they are finely minced.
Chop the Parsley: Remove the stems then gather the leaves and thinly slice them. Rock the knife over the sliced pile a few times until they are finely chopped.
Cook:
Microwave the Potatoes: In a microwave-safe bowl, put 20 oz baby potato, cover with a cling wrap, and microwave for 12 minutes.
Slice the Chicken: Make a few shallow incisions across the length of 18 oz boneless chicken thighs.
Season the Chicken: Dry-rub 1/2 tsp paprika, 1/2 tsp garlic powder, 1/2 tsp ground black pepper, and 1/4 tsp salt all over the chicken thighs.
Pan-sear the Chicken: In a skillet over small heat, sear the chicken with 1 tbsp olive oil for 10 minutes. Start with the skin side down first.
Pan-sear the Potatoes: Remove the chicken when done then put the potatoes in with the skin side up and pan-sear them for 7 minutes.
Add the Remaining Ingredients: Add 2 minced garlic cloves, 2 oz shallot, 3/4 cup unsalted chicken broth, 2 tbsp lemon juice, 1/2 tsp salt, and 1 tbsp unsalted butter to the skillet.
Put the Chicken Back In: Put the chicken back into the skillet, close the lid, then let everything simmer on small heat for 15 minutes.
Open the lid, add 2 oz lemon to the pan then garnish with 2 tbsp parsley. Transfer the food onto serving plates and serve hot.
NUTRITION
Tuyet Pham
Head Chef, Culinary Consultant
Luna Regina
Writer, Author
- LesleyTender and flavorful braised chicken recipe is a must-try for a cozy night in.