These chicken thighs come together without much fuss, but the honey and balsamic vinegar give them a surprisingly complex depth of flavor … not to mention a beautiful golden-bronze hue.
[amd-zlrecipe-recipe:82]
Tag Archives: braised
Braised and Seared Fennel Wedges
These fennel wedges are the ultimate crossover food. Served warm, they’d be be lovely side dish on a cold night with Simplest Roast Chicken or Spiced Pork Roast. Served cool, they’re terrific finger food appetizer for a picnic. This recipe is based on one from the Gotham Cookbook, by Alfred Portale. I’ve always loved how the braising in this dish makes the fennel silky and tender, while the finishing sear gives it savory caramelization; a luscious juxtaposition.
[amd-zlrecipe-recipe:109]
Braised Chicken and Chickpeas with Smoked Paprika
This recipe works wonders with the Valu-pak of frozen chicken thighs you bought last month at Costco (or was that me?). If you don’t have smoked paprika on hand, just use a twist of freshly ground black pepper. Or experiment with other combinations of spices in your pantry. Serve over brown rice, whole wheat couscous or bulgur to soak up the flavorful juices.
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3 pounds chicken thighs and legs
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 tablespoon smoked paprika
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup onion, thinly sliced
1/4 cup sherry vinegar
1 (14-ounce) can diced tomatoes (I recommend Muir Glen)
1 cup chicken stock
2 (14-ounce cans) chickpeas (garbanzo beans), rinsed and drained
Place flour in a plastic zip-top bag. Sprinkle chicken with salt, pepper and paprika, and drop half in the flour. Seal bag and shake until well coated. Remove, shake off any excess and transfer to a plate. Repeat with remaining chicken. Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add chicken to pan and brown well on all sides, working in batches if necessary so you don’t overcrowd the pan, about 6 minutes total per batch. Remove from pan and set aside.
Add onion to Dutch oven and sauté 4-5 minutes or until tender and slightly browned. Pour in vinegar, scraping pan to loosen browned bits on the bottom, and cook 1 minute or until liquid evaporates.
Add tomatoes and chicken stock to pan. Stir in chickpeas and bring to a boil. Place chicken on top of chickpeas and sprinkle with an additional pinch of salt and paprika. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer for 40 minutes or until chicken is cooked through and chickpeas are tender.
Serves 8
Braised Kale Trio
Use a mixture of different varieties of kale–like red Russian, Tuscan and Portuguese–if you can get your hands on them. A local farmer, Bibianna Love, opened my eyes to the incredible variety of flavors and textures between them. Together, they elevate a simple side dish of greens.
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
16 cups kale, zipped, cleaned and roughly chopped
1/4 cup vegetable broth
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Heat oil in a large, deep saute pan or Dutch oven over medium heat, and add garlic. Saute for 1 minute, until golden brown and fragrant. Add kale and vegetable stock to pan, season with salt and pepper, and toss well to coat. Cover pan, reduce heat to medium-low, and cook for 2-5 minutes, tossing occasionally, until kale is crisp-tender.
Remove lid and increase heat to medium-high. Continue to cook for 2-5 more minutes, until any remaining liquid has evaporated and kale is tender but still vibrant.
Season to taste with additional salt and pepper.
Serves 4