This simple chicken braise is a perfect storm of ‘it’ ingredients, but it is also a delicious Mediterranean-style dish. It’s as at home on a sunny summer evening as on a cold winter day and, along with a hunk of crusty bread and some good quality oil, could be a meal all on its own. This is another simple, open braise, and something you can build on yourself by adding additional seasonings, other herbs, or different greens.
Braised Chicken Thighs with Chickpeas and Greens
Course: Bone-In, Dinner, StewCuisine: MediterraneanDifficulty: Medium4
servings30
minutes1
hour1
hour30
minutesZesty mediterranean braised chicken with chickpeas, charred lemons, and braised greens.
Ingredients
4 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs.
1 bunch turnip or other braising greens
1 lemon
2 cups chicken stock
1 cup cooked chickpeas
1 tsp olive oil
4 cloves garlic
1 shallot
2 sprigs fresh thyme
1 tsp red pepper flake
1/8 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp kosher salt
Parsley for garnish
Salt and pepper to taste
Directions
- Preheat your oven to 350°.
- Peel, trim, and mince the garlic.
- Peel, trim, and slice the shallot.
- Pick the thyme, discarding woody stems.
- You can optionally blanch and shock the greens by quickly dunking them in boiling water for 10 seconds before chilling them in an ice bath. This will help them maintain an attractive color, but it is necessary for flavor and this step can be omitted.
- Trim the ends off the lemon and slice into 1/8-1/14-inch thick rounds.
- Season the chicken on both sides. Sear the chicken pieces, starting skin-side down, until the skin is browned and most of the fat has rendered.
- Add the lemon slices to the pan and cook until browned on one side. Remove and set aside.
- Add the shallot, and cook until it just begins to brown.
- Add garlic, cinnamon, and pepper flake to the pan and sauté for about 2 minutes, just until the garlic becomes a little fragrant.
- Add the greens to the pan – if you have blanched them, be sure to squeeze out as much liquid as possible first – and sauté for 1 minute, or just enough to coat the greens.
- Add the chickpeas, chicken stock, thyme, salt and pepper.
- Arrange the chicken pieces and lemon slices on top of the other ingredients. Bring to a simmer and move to the preheated oven. Cook for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until the chicken is well browned and the meat is almost falling from the bone. Garnish with parsley.
- Serve with grilled bread, fresh lemon wedges, and good olive oil.
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