Braised chicken thighs, deconstructed!

When meat prices started to skyrocket a few years ago, I began to explore cooking with lower-priced meats.

Chicken thighs were one meat I experimented with extensively.  This dense, fatty, meat quickly became a favorite as it responded well to braising, marinating, and slow cooking.  Its polar opposite, chicken breasts, did not fare so well.  While white chicken meat is lower in fat, it is also dried out much easier.   Very different cooking methods are required.

This recipe is intended to be a "one pot meal."  While you may be tempted to substitute a leaner chicken breast for the chicken thighs, a different cooking process is required, and the dish can no longer be cooked in one pot.  It might be wiser to look at other ingredients in the recipe to adjust for your dietary needs.

Jane's braised chicken thighs, Tuscan style

4 bone-in. skin-on chicken thighs

8 oz. can tomato paste

½ c. wine (red or white)

4 smashed roasted garlic cloves

1-2 cans. Cannelloni beans, drained

Medium sweet onion, sliced

1/2 c. frozen chopped spinach

1/2  c. sliced mushrooms

1 TB. dry Rosemary

1 TB. Kosher salt

2 tsp. dry Marjoram

1 tsp. dry  Basil

1 tsp. red chili pepper flakes

Optional:  2 TB. capers

Optional:  2 TB. chopped  green or Kalamata olives

Olive oil

Salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Add the tomato paste, wine, garlic, and spices to a large round, covered, casserole dish.  Place the dish in the oven for 15 minutes.  

Remove the casserole dish from the oven, and reduce the temperature to 325 degrees.  Add all the vegetables and stir.  Return the dish to the oven, covered.  This allows the braising liquid to marry before adding the meat.

Heat approximately 2 TB. of olive oil in a frying pan.  Sprinkle each side of the chicken thighs with salt and pepper, and place skin side down in the pan.  Fry until the skin is crispy and brown, about four minutes.  Flip the chicken and cook until browned, approximately four more minutes. 

Remove the casserole dish from the oven, and place the chicken on top, skin side up.  Cover and bake for 90 minutes (1 ½ hours).  Do not remove the cover while the dish is cooking.  It will interrupt the braising process.  

Remove the casserole dish from the oven, and remove the cover.  Allow it to cool for 15 minutes.  Using a slotted spoon, spoon the vegetables onto a plate, and top with the chicken thighs.  Lightly spoon the braising sauce over the chicken and vegetables.  (Note:  If the sauce is too thin, whisk in a "slurry" of 2 TB. corn starch or other thickener,and 1 TB. water, and bring the sauce to a boil.  Continue to simmer until the sauce reaches the desired thickness.)

Sprinkle with salt and pepper, is desired.

Jane's braised chicken thighs, deconstructed

4 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs

>Fat alert:  Chicken thighs with the bone-in and skin on are high in fat.   To lower the fat content, they can be replaced with boneless, skinless chicken thighs, or boneless, skinless chicken breasts.  However, the caloric difference between chicken thighs and breasts is minimal, and the substitution may not be worth the impact on the overall dish.

>Ingredient alert:  Braising is a cooking method particularly suited to chicken thighs.  Chicken breasts, however, as best grilled, or seared and baked in the oven.  If chicken breasts are substituted for chicken thighs, cook them separately from the vegetables. 

1 c. tomato paste 

>Health alert:  Using homemade tomato paste ensures you know what it is in it.  Sometimes, canned tomato paste are high in fat, salt, sugar, or contain MSG.  Check the labels carefully to ensure you use a healthy substitute.

>Ingredient alert:  Tomato paste ensures that the braising liquid/sauce has a thicker consistency.  While it can be replaced with tomato sauce, or diced tomatoes, once the chicken is done braising, it may be necessary to add corn starch or other thickeners to the sauce.

½ c. wine (red or white)

>Health alert:  Some wines contain a lot of sugar.  If this is a problem, substitute the wine with a low-sugar variety, vodka, chicken broth, or 1/4-1/2 c. lime or lemon juice.  The wine can also be replaced with 1/4 c. balsamic vinegar.

>Ingredient alert:  In this recipe, the wine serves as a tenderizer, and a flavor enhancer.  Substitution or elimination may change the flavor, requiring an adjustment in spices.  The best substitute?  Balsamic vinegar, lime, or lemon juice.

4 smashed roasted garlic cloves

1-2 cans. Cannelloni beans, drained

>Health alert:  Canned beans can be high in sodium and carbohydrates.  If either is a concern, use only one can of beans, or replace the canned variety with fresh or dried white beans.

Medium sweet onion, sliced

1/2 c. frozen chopped spinach

1/2 c. sliced mushrooms

2 TB. salt

>Health alert:  This recipe uses a significant amount of salt.  It can be replaced with a salt substitute or Italian seasoning. 

>Ingredient alert:  The removal of salt will affect the flavor of this dish. It may become necessary to increase the amount of pepper or overall seasonings.

1 TB. dry Rosemary

2 tsp. dry Marjoram

1 tsp. dry  Basil

1 tsp. red chili pepper flakes

Optional:  2 TB. capers

>Ingredient alert:  Capers are usually brined in a solution that is high in salt.  If this is a concern, either rinse them or eliminate them altogether. 

Optional:  2 TB. chopped  green olives

>Ingredient alert:  Olives can be brined in a solution that is high in salt.  If this is a problem, either rinse them or eliminate them altogether. 

Olive oil

>Fat alert:  Olive oil is used to sear the chicken thighs, and crisp the skin.  Olive oil may be substituted with a light touch of spray grease.  In the alternative, the skin may be crisped under a broiler without the use of fat.

(Follow the cooking instructions above.)