Braised Chicken Thighs with Winter Vegetables

Fantastic flavor! One pan.

This recipe, as most of what I post, comes from a magazine. But sharing recipes is what my blog is all about and I am SO happy to share this one with you. I find that cooking can be "hit and miss". Sometimes the pictures look great but the flavor ends up not being anything close to what you'd hoped for.  THIS RECIPE DELIVERS! Oh...the depth of flavor!  Seriously, I wanted to eat the whole thing. 

The recipe calls for skinless chicken thighs. I rarely use skinless or boneless chicken because, as we all know "FAT IS FLAVOR"!!  and the fat is in the skin and bones. However, all the store had was skinless, boneless chicken thighs so that's what I bought....and STILL the flavor was fantastic. If you can find skinless WITH bones, buy them because the bones will add even more flavor. 

Also, the recipe calls for Savoy cabbage - but again the store only had regular cabbage and it tasted delicious.

Lastly, I usually avoid red pepper flakes, but the small amount that is called for added a PERFECT bite along with the apple that added a slight tartness.  SO yummy.

Here's how to do it:

Ingredients~

1 TBL olive oil

4 skinless chicken thighs (about 2 lbs) patted dry

salt and pepper to taste

3 slices bacon, diced medium

4 garlic cloves, smashed a bit and peeled

1 medium sweet onion (like Vidalia) cut into large wedges

1 large russet potato, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks

4 medium carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch pieces

1/4 small savoy cabbage, cored and thick ribs removed, cut into strips

1 tart apple, such as Granny Smith, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch pieces

1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

2 C low-sodium chicken broth

2 TBL Dijon mustard

Directions~

1. Preheat oven to 375. In a large oven proof pan, heat olive oil over medium high heat. Season chicken with salt and pepper and cook in batches until browned on both sides, about 6-8 minutes per side.

Bad picture. Good chicken.

2. Transfer chicken to a plate and cover with foil to keep warm. 

3. Reduce heat to medium, add bacon and garlic to pan and cook until fat is rendered, about 5 minutes.  

Bacon and garlic.....in chicken fat. What else is there for me to say? Heaven.

4. Add the onion, potato and carrots to the pan. Stir and season with a bit of pepper. Put the pan in the oven and bake for about 20 minutes.

5. Whisk together the chicken broth, red pepper flakes and the Dijon mustard. Set aside.

6. Remove pan from oven and stir in the cabbage and apple. Pour the broth mixture over and gently stir to coat the vegetables. Add the chicken on top, and return pan to oven for another 20 - 25 minutes, stirring halfway through cooking.

I served this with a little brown rice to soak up the delicious juice/gravy. 

Enjoy!