Braised Chicken Thighs with Fettuccine

 

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Do you ever wake up in the morning and think,
"By golly, I think I'll braise something today!"

 

Neither do I.

In fact, I didn't even know what braising was until I started this blog and decided I'd
better figure out what I was talking about before I tried to describe it to anyone else.  

So...

Braising is a method of cooking something (typically meat) with both dry and moist heat.  It usually consists of first searing the meat at high temperatures (browning it to "lock" in flavor and moisture) and then finishing it off in a liquid in a covered pot.  

My all-time favorite thing to braise are chicken thighs (with skin and bones...[that sounds awful, sorry]).  But the skin browns beautifully while retaining moisture in the meat.  And cooking meat on the bone usually results in something extra-flavorful.

I begin by heating olive oil and butter together in my Dutch oven on the stove

(you can substitute a heavy skillet).

 

Lightly "dredge*" chicken thighs in flour, salt, and pepper.

 

 And brown them on each side for 7-8 minutes. 

 

Try to resist flipping before then.  Good things are happening on the side you can't see. 

It's called "faith of the non-flipper."

Once both sides have browned, transfer the chicken to a clean plate.  

(Even though it looks awesome, it's not cooked through, so don't take a snitch!)  

 

Pour off all but 3 tablespoons of fat from the pan.  

 

Over medium-high heat, lightly brown thickly-sliced onions and smashed cloves of garlic.

 

This smells so incredible.

 

Then add about 1/4 cup of white wine to the pan.  Allow it to get good and bubbly.

 

Then add about a cup of chicken stock and bring to a boil.

Return the browned chicken to the pot, cover with a lid,
and bake at 350 for about 45 minutes.  

I forgot to take a pic of this, but I cooked some fettuccine according to package directions (in a separate pot) and then I tossed the fettuccine in with these awesome juices before I served it.

It was absolutely perfect.

Here's the printable recipe.

Braised Chicken Thighs with Fettuccine
Serves 4

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
4 chicken thighs (with bones and skin)
1/2 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 medium onion, peeled and thickly sliced
5 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
1/4 cup dry white wine
1 cup chicken stock
1 (12-ounce) package fettuccine, cooked according to package directions
Handful of fresh parsley leaves, finely chopped

Heat olive oil and butter in Dutch oven or heavy skillet over medium-high heat.  Melt.  Place chicken (beginning with skin side down) in pan.  Brown on both sides (about 7-8 minutes per side).   Transfer browned chicken to clean plate.  

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Drain all but 3 tablespoons of fat from the pan.   Return heat to medium-high.  Add onions and garlic to pan.  Cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally, until beginning to brown.  Add wine to pot; return to boil.  Add in the stock and again bring to boil.  Return chicken to pot, skin side up, and place pot (with lid) in oven for 45 minutes. 

Cook pasta according to package directions.  Drain and set aside.

When the chicken is removed from the oven, remove the chicken from the cooking liquid.  Stir the cooked pasta into the liquid.  Place a "nest" of fettuccine on each plate and top with a piece of chicken.  Garnish with chopped parsley, if desired.

*To dredge chicken, simply place the flour/salt/pepper mixture on a plate and press the chicken into the flour to coat it on all sides.