Annes Braised Chicken Thighs Food

BRAISED CHICKEN WITH MUSHROOMS AND ALMONDS

Steps:

• Coat a large, wide, deep pan with olive oil and bring to a high heat. Pat the chicken skin dry with paper towels and season generously with salt. Add chicken skin side down to the pan. You should hear a big sizzle as the thighs hit the pan. Do not try to move the chicken, the skin will stick itself to the bottom of the pan and will unstick itself when it is ready. If the pan is smoking excessively turn the burner down and continue to cook. When the skin is brown and crispy, turn the chicken over and brown it on the other side. Remove the chicken from the pan and reserve.
• Lower the heat if you have not already done so and ditch most of the excess fat. Add the pancetta and brown. When the pancetta has started to get brown and crispy add the onions. Season with salt and crushed red pepper and sweat over medium heat for 7 to 8 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for another 1 to 2 minutes. Add the mushrooms, season with salt and saute for 3 to 4 minutes or until they release their juices. Add the wine and reduce by half. Return the chicken to the pan. Add chicken stock to almost cover the chicken. Add the thyme and bay leaves. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Simmer the chicken for 30 to 35 minutes. Add more chicken stock, if needed.
• While the chicken is cooking puree the almonds in the food processor. Drizzle in a little olive oil while the machine is running to make this a loose paste. Season with salt and reserve.
• Once the chicken has cooked for 30 to 35 minutes, remove it from the pan and reserve. Taste the sauce for seasoning and stir in the almond puree. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer to thicken the sauce, if needed. The almond puree will help to thicken the sauce and to make it very rich.
• Serve the chicken over Sauteed Haricots Verts or your favorite green vegetable. Spoon the mushroom almond sauce over and garnish with chopped chives.
• Bring a large pot of well salted water to a boil. Set up a bowl of well salted ice water for shocking.
• Add the beans to the boiling water and cook until the beans are tender but still toothsome about 5 to 7 minutes. Remove from the boiling water and place immediately into the salted ice water. Once the beans are cool, remove them from the water and set aside until ready to use.
• Coat a large saute pan with olive oil. Add the garlic and the crushed red pepper and bring to a medium-high heat. When the garlic has become golden and very aromatic, remove it and discard. It has fulfilled its garlic destiny. Add the beans to the pan and saute until they are hot and coated with oil. Season with salt and serve right away.
• Yield: 4 servings
• Prep time: 10 minutes
• Cook time: 10 minutes

PIZZA WITH BRAISED CHICKEN THIGHS

Steps:

• For the pizza dough: Add 1/2 cup warm water to a small bowl. (If the water is too hot, the yeast will die; if it's too cold, the yeast won't activate). Add the yeast and sugar, stir to combine and let sit for 15 minutes. The water will bubble at the surface and smell very yeasty; this is what you want.
• Combine the flour and salt in a large mixing bowl. Make a well in the center and add the olive oil and the yeast/water mixture. Using a fork, gradually stir the flour into the yeast/water. Once most of the flour is combined, turn the dough out onto a smooth, clean, flour-dusted work surface and knead until smooth.
• Lightly coat the mixing bowl with oil and return the dough to the bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and set in a warm place until the dough has doubled in size, at least 1 hour.
• For the braised chicken thighs: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Add 2 tablespoons olive oil to an oven-safe, high-sided saucepan over medium heat. When the oil is just starting to shimmer, place the chicken thighs skin-side down in the pan, being careful to not overcrowd. Cook until the skin is golden brown and releases easily from the pan, about 3 minutes. Flip the thighs and cook until golden on the reverse side, another 3 minutes. (The chicken should not be cooked through at this point, just browned.) Remove the chicken from the pan and set aside. If necessary, add another tablespoon of olive oil to the pan. Then add the onions and cook, stirring, until just translucent, about 2 minutes. Stir in the garlic. When the onions and garlic are translucent, add the tomatoes and jalapeno and stir gently to combine. Cook until the tomatoes start to release their juices, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the chicken stock, bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer.
• Return the chicken to the pan, skin-side up, and transfer to the oven. Bake until the chicken comes apart easily, another 20 to 30 minutes. Shred the chicken.
• For the pizza: When the dough is ready, portion it into 6 golf ball-size pieces. (If you're not using it right away, wrap each ball individually in plastic and refrigerate until ready to use.) Dust a work surface with flour and roll each piece of dough into a rectangle (or whatever shape you like; I like irregular shapes).
• Place a pizza stone in the oven and preheat to 450 degrees F. Dust a pizza peel with cornmeal.
• Top each pizza with some braised chicken, about 1 cup of the braising sauce and 1 cup of the Cheddar. Bake until the crust is golden brown and cooked through and the cheese has melted, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and garnish with cilantro. Slice and enjoy!

BRAISED CHICKEN WITH POMEGRANATE MOLASSES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Coat a large saute pan with olive oil. Toss in 2 of the garlic cloves and a pinch of crushed red pepper. Bring the pan to medium-high heat. When the garlic is golden and very aromatic, remove it and discard--it has fulfilled its garlic destiny.
• Season the chicken thighs with salt and place them skin side down in the pan. Don't crowd the pan or the thighs will steam instead of brown--you may have to work in batches here, no worries. Brown the chicken thighs really well on both sides, 10 to 12 minutes total.
• Transfer the chicken to a rimmed baking sheet and roast for 10 to 12 minutes or until cooked through.
• Ditch the oil from the pan and add 2 garlic cloves, 1/2 cup of the pomegranate molasses along with 1/2 cup of the chicken stock, scraping the mixture from the bottom of the pan. Add the thyme. Bring the mixture to a boil and let it evaporate by half--it should be slightly thick and syrupy. Season with salt.
• Return the chicken to the pan, along with the juices from the sheet pan, scraping up any bits. Reduce the heat to medium, and cook in the sauce for 3 to 5 minutes on each side, or until the sauce thickens and it clings to the chicken in a yummy embrace.
• While the chicken roasts, add the remaining molasses, stock, and garlic to the pan along with the thyme bundle and a pinch of crushed red pepper. Taste and season with salt if needed. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer (BTB, RTS). Cook until the liquid is thick and syrupy. Discard the garlic cloves and thyme bundle.
• Remove the chicken from the oven, transfer to a serving dish, drizzle with the sauce, and sprinkle with the pomegranate seeds and chives before serving.

BRAISED CHICKEN THIGHS AND APPLES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 425 degree F. Sprinkle the chicken generously with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a large, deep ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Place the chicken in the skillet skin-side down and cook, flipping once, until golden on both sides. Transfer to a plate.
• Reduce the heat to medium, add the thyme and leeks to the skillet and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 4 minutes. Pour in the wine and use a wooden spoon to scrape up any browned bits from the bottom. Cook until the skillet is nearly dry. Stir in the broth, apple cider and a pinch each of salt and pepper and bring to a boil.
• Use a fork to mash the butter and flour together in a small bowl until smooth. Whisk the butter-flour mixture into the skillet until dissolved. Stir in the apples and remove from the heat. Nestle the chicken skin-side up in the skillet along with any collected juices from the plate. Bake until the chicken is cooked through, about 25 minutes.