These braised chicken thighs are Eric's and my 2nd favorite meal of all time. Our first is a Zuni Cafe inspired roasted chicken over a warm arugula salad, with croutons roasted in the chicken drippings... my mouth is watering just thinking about it!
Yields 4-6 servings
Prep time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 1 hour 30 minutes
Total time: 1 hour 50 minutes (plus marinate time)
Recommended equipment: skillet, oven-safe baking dish, saucepan
Ingredients:
8 chicken thighs, skin-on and bone-in
Kosher salt and pepper, to taste
½ teaspoon of red pepper flakes
6 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon of Italian seasoning
1 tablespoon of roughly chopped rosemary
1 tablespoon of olive oil
1 lemon (or 2 Meyer lemons if in season), cut into wedges
1 cup of flavorful olives with pits, a mixture of black and green, about 1 pound
1 cup of low sodium chicken stock or broth
3 tablespoon chopped parsley, for garnish
Directions:
Heat oven to 375℉
Pat chicken thighs dry with paper towels. Season well with salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, garlic, Italian seasoning, and rosemary, then drizzle with olive oil. Rub seasoning into thighs on all sides. Let the thighs marinate for at least 15 minutes, but all day works too!
Heat a skillet over medium-high heat and sear the chicken thighs, skin side down, until browned (don’t even try and peek for at least 5 minutes). Flip the chicken thighs and cook until browned on the other side, about 5 minutes
Place chicken in an oven-safe baking dish in one layer, skin side up. Tuck lemon wedges here and there, and scatter olives evenly over chicken. Pour chicken stock or broth into the dish.
Cover tightly with lid or foil and bake for 1 hour, until chicken is done. Thighs should reach an internal temperature of 165℉
Remove thighs and lemon wedges, and arrange on a serving platter.
Pour the pan juices into a saucepan. Over high heat, simmer rapidly until reduced by half and thickened.
Spoon juices over the chicken, sprinkle with parsley and serve. Enjoy!