A couple days ago we recommended a recipe for Braised Chicken with Shallots. Well, we weren't just talking; it looked so good that we cooked it too, and now we are going to tell you just how good it is in real life.
Recipe Review: Braised Chicken with Shallots
This is a super easy dish. We pulled it together in a rather short amount of time, which made us happy. But it also is one of these dishes that makes great leftovers, so even if it had taken longer we wouldn't have complained. We got at least four meals out of it.
Here are our thoughts and modifications on this recipe.
• The recipe calls for bone-in, skinless thighs, but we used a combination of boneless and bone-in. We like the boneless thighs better; they fit in our Dutch oven better, and they weren't as much trouble to eat.
• If peeling a dozen shallots sounds daunting, try our time-saving tips here.
• Brown the thighs well; this is where a lot of the flavor comes from.
• Building the sauce was easy enough, but we were surprised that the principal braising liquid was water. We substituted chicken broth.
• We also added some red pepper flakes, for zing; this dish is flavorful, but in a very subdued way.
• Tomatoes are out of season, so we drained a large can of peeled plum tomatoes, and cut each tomato into quarters. We added these at the end.
Overall, this recipe made our week. The thighs simmer for an hour, and they get so soft and tender that they practically melt in your mouth. The sauce is delicious, too, with a deep, flavorful combination of wine, broth, and mustard.
• Get the recipe: Braised Chicken with Shallots at Martha Stewart
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Recipe Review, Martha Stewart, chicken, weeknight dinner, shallotsRelated Links
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Ooo, glad to hear this was good. I was eyeballing it the first time it was posted. I might have to try making this Sunday for food during the rest of the week. It's gotten cold again here so warm food like this really sounds appealing.
view Tiamat_the_Red's profile
I made it with the water, as suggested in the recipe. The sauce was to die for--incredibly delicious. This recipe rocks! I also used boneless thighs--and a meat thermometer. Melt in your mouth tender. You are right about the browning. It's the key!
view jn's profile
Do you think this recipe would work with breasts instead of thighs? I don't really care for dark meat, but this recipe looks too good not to try!
view EmmieC's profile
Sounds great! I love that it can rest a day or two in the fridge. Will definitely try it this week!
There is another chicken recipe that I love (did I pick it up here? I bet I did...) -- chicken in riesling. Unfortunately it has cream in it, and so does not reheat well. (oh, and I MUST find those amazing blue dishes!)
http://www.gourmet.com/recipes/2000s/2008/03/chickeninriesling
view mschatelaine's profile
Cooked this with boneless thighs and chicken stock last night for a crowd... it was DELICIOUS! and very easy. Thanks for highlighting this!
EmmieC, you might want to try it with half thighs, half breasts so you dont lose all the thigh flavor. Brown the meat all as usual, but when beginning the braise, add the breasts, cut in half, 10 minutes after the thighs. This way they'll cook through without getting stringy, as chicken breast dont stand up as well to braising. Just a thought... it really is worth trying, and the thighs (which I don't enjoy, generally), gain a beautiful texture.
view fib's profile