Recipe: Braised Chicken

Braising is many things: a technique that results in tender, slow-cooked dishes that leave you wanting more; an easy, one-pot solution that tastes like a million bucks and makes you look like a genius at the dinner table; and a simple cooking method developed by the French.

Here's Chef Nomi's recipe for: Braised Chicken 

Serves 6

Ingredients
  • 6 bone-in skin-on chicken thighs (about 2 1/2 lbs.)
  • Kosher salt
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 Tablespoon vegetable oil
  • 2 inch piece ginger, grated
  • 5 cloves garlic, grated
  • 8 ounces small shallots (peeled and halved, if large)
  • 3/4 cup sake or dry white wine
  • 1 cup soy sauce
  • 3/4 cup water
  • 1/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 Tablespoon toasted sesame oil, for serving
  • Toasted sesame seeds, for serving
  • Thinly sliced green onions, for serving
  • Cooked white rice, for serving
Steps

Preheat oven to 425°. In a 3.5 Quart Le Creuset Braiser over high heat, heat oil. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Add chicken to skillet skin-side down and cook until deeply golden, 6 minutes. Transfer to a plate.

Add ginger, garlic, and shallots to skillet and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add wine and cook until reduced by half, about 3 minutes. Add soy sauce, water, and sugar, and bring to a boil.

Nestle chicken skin-side up in skillet, tucking it between the shallots. Transfer skillet to middle rack of oven and braise chicken uncovered for about 35 minutes, until cooked through. Remove chicken from pan.

Return skillet to high heat and cook until sauce is thickened, 3 minutes. Pour sauce and sesame oil over chicken thighs.

Garnish with sesame seeds and green onions. Serve with rice.

Enjoy~