Braised Chicken

Braised Chicken is right at the top of my recipe list. I use the basic recipe so often I was a bit surprised that I had not done a post on it before. This technique has several things going for it.

It uses the less expensive (cheap) legs, thighs or quarters. These pieces are required. White meat dries out too quickly. Slow cooking the bone-in dark pieces results in a juicy and tender piece of chicken, with the added advantage that the bone-in pieces contribute to a great tasting pan sauce.


The entire dish is cooked in one pan for easy clean up. It can be cooked on the stove top on hot summer days. On cold winter days it can be cooked in a slow (300 degree) oven. It still only requires one pan, but the oven can accommodate some homemade bread or a nice rustic tart.

Recipe #43 Braised Chicken Quarters
2 (or more) chicken quarters, thighs or legs
1 chopped onion
1 chopped carrot
1 chopped celery stalk
½ cww wine (cheap white wine) or red wine or stock or any braising liquid.
½ cup water
salt
pepper
herbs (see notes at end)

Start with a covered saute pan or a dutch oven. The pan pictured in a 3 quart pan. Brown the chicken pieces, skin side down. Turn and briefly brown the flip side. Remove the chicken to a plate. Add chopped vegetables. Stir the vegetables until the brown bits left in the pan begins to loosen. Add braising liquid. For more information see the post: Mirepoix



Return the chicken to the pan and nestle it down in the liquid and vegetables. Season with salt and pepper. At this point almost any additional seasoning can be added. I keep a small container of Herbes de Provence on the kitchen counter. It is a packaged mix of thyme, basil, savory, fennel seeds, and lavender flowers. It's always easy to add a few pinches. In the summer we have rosemary, parsley, sage and other herbs growing in the garden.

Bring the pot to a slow simmer and cook 45 min to an hour. A slow simmer can extend the cooking time without ruining the meal. Sometimes extra time is needed for the social graces.

That's the basic recipe. What makes this so versatile is the many variations in seasoning/herbs and accompanying side dishes. I'll post some of my favorites and some of my experiments. Once you get the idea, the variations are almost endless.

Braised Pork Steak

I started my recipes back in January of 2007 with this post: Easy, cheap, and, fast - What a man wants in a good recipe. It's still one of my go-to recipes even though food price inflation has nearly doubled the cost.

My skills have improved thanks to practice, food TV, and a few food blogs. Braising is one of the skills I've developed. It uses time and low heat to turn tough inexpensive cuts into tender meals. Braising is still easy and cheap. It's relatively fast to prepare too. The long slow cooking requires no effort on the cook's part. And one pot meals are easy to clean up.

Recipe #45 - Braised Pork Steak
with Acorn Squash

1 or 2 pork steaks 1-1½ lbs. (blade or shoulder cut)
1 acorn squash* (substitute any winter squash or root vegetables)
1 apple chopped
1 medium onion chopped
1 cup braising liquid
salt, pepper, spices (try garam masala for an Indian flavor)

Brown the pork steaks in a large (3 qt) saute pan of dutch oven. When browned remove meat and add chopped onion. Stir to soften, scrape brown bits from the bottom. These add a lot of flavor and color. Finish scraping by adding liquid to the pan. Braising liquid can be bouillon, stock, apple juice, wine, or even water. I used about a half cup of wine and a half cup of water.

Return the meat to the pan. On top of the meat add chunks of peeled squash, sweet potatoes, or any combination of root vegetable you favor. Season with your favorite spice. Cover the pot. Reduce the heat to simmer and let the pot cook about an hour, until vegetables are fork tender.

See also: Braised Chicken