Cider Braised Chicken Thighs With Apples And Greens Food

APPLE CIDER BRAISED CHICKEN THIGHS

Steps:

• Pat chicken thighs dry with paper towels.
• Sprinkle both sides of chicken thighs with salt and pepper, and pat into the skin.
• In a large, hot skillet, add 1 tablespoon avocado oil or vegetable oil. Add chicken skin-side down and sear on medium-high heat until skin becomes golden brown. Sear on each side for about 7 minutes on the skin side, and 5 minutes on the fleshy back side.
• Lower heat to medium. Add remaining 1 tablespoon avocado oil and allow to heat. Add apples, onion slices and herbs to the pan. Cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring often and scraping the bottom of the pan to work up any leftover bits of chicken.
• Pour chicken stock, cider and wine into the pan, stir well to combine.
• Add chicken thighs back to the pan. Cook covered on medium heat for an additional 10 minutes. Remove lid and continue to simmer for 2-3 minutes or until chicken reaches an internal temperature of at least 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Serve warm.

CIDER-BRAISED CHICKEN THIGHS WITH APPLES AND GREENS

Steps:

• Pat the chicken thighs dry and season generously with salt and pepper.
• In a Dutch oven or heavy pot, heat the oil over medium. Cook the chicken thighs skin-side down, undisturbed, until the skin is golden brown, 6 to 8 minutes. Flip and cook until lightly browned on the other side, about 4 minutes. Transfer to a plate.
• Pour off all but about 3 tablespoons of fat from the pot, turn the heat to medium-low, then add the shallots and sage. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the shallots are translucent, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and stir until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Be careful not to let the garlic burn.
• Add the cider, cider vinegar, mustard, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper and cook, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan, until the cider has reduced slightly, 2 to 3 minutes. Return the chicken and any accumulated juices to the pot, skin-side up. Pour just enough broth around (not on!) the chicken to cover the sides of the thighs but not cover the skin on top.
• Bring to a boil, then turn the heat to low. Partly cover and gently simmer until the thighs are cooked through and tender, 20 to 25 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a clean plate or sheet pan (if you'd like to broil the chicken in the next step), raise the heat to medium, and add the kale and apple to the pot. Cook, tossing often, until all the kale is wilted, the apples are just softened and the liquid has reduced slightly, about 5 minutes. While the greens cook, if you'd like to crisp the skin on the chicken, pop it under the broiler for 2 to 3 minutes.
• Taste for seasoning, and stir in 1 or 2 more teaspoons cider vinegar to taste. Divide the chicken and kale mixture among shallow bowls; serve with crusty bread to mop up broth.

BRAISED CHICKEN WITH APPLES AND SAGE

Steps:

• Pat chicken dry and sprinkle all over with salt and pepper. Heat oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then brown chicken well, starting with skin sides down and turning over once, 10 to 12 minutes total. Transfer chicken to a plate and pour off all but 1 tablespoon fat from skillet.
• Add butter, brown sugar, apples, and shallots to fat in skillet and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until apples are browned, about 5 minutes.
• Add broth, vinegar, and sage and deglaze skillet by boiling, stirring and scraping up any brown bits, 1 minute. Return chicken, skin sides up, to skillet along with any juices accumulated on plate. Reduce heat and simmer, loosely covered with foil, until chicken is cooked through and sauce is slightly reduced, 20 to 25 minutes.

CIDER-BRAISED CHICKEN WITH APPLES AND KALE

Steps:

• Arrange rack in upper third of oven; preheat to 450°F. Season chicken all over with 1 tsp. salt and 1/2 tsp. pepper, then rub with 1/4 cup mustard, making sure to get mustard under skin.
• Heat 2 Tbsp. oil in a large heatproof high-sided skillet or heavy braising pan over medium-high. Sear chicken, skin side down, until golden-brown, about 8 minutes. Turn chicken, then arrange apples and onion around chicken. Add wine and 1 cup cider, then transfer to oven and roast until an instant-read thermometer inserted into thickest part of thigh registers 165°F, about 20 minutes.
• Meanwhile, heat remaining 1/2 cup cider, 1 Tbsp. oil, and 1/2 tsp. salt in a large pot over medium; add kale, cover, and cook until wilted. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until kale is tender, about 5 minutes. Using slotted spoon, divide kale among plates.
• Transfer chicken, apples, and onion to plates with a slotted spoon. Heat remaining liquid in skillet over high. Add cream and remaining 1 tsp. mustard and bring to a boil. Cook, whisking constantly, until sauce is thickened, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in lemon juice.
• Spoon sauce alongside chicken and kale. Garnish with tarragon, if desired.

APPLE CIDER BRAISED CHICKEN

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Pat the chicken thighs dry with a paper towel, then season with salt and pepper.
• Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and brown the chicken thighs until golden, skin side first. Remove to a platter and set aside.
• If there's too much fat left, you can discard some. Fry the bacon pieces until the fat is rendered, then remove the bacon to the same platter as the chicken.
• Add the shallots, celery, and thyme to the skillet and cook over low heat until soft but not brown, about 5-7 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds longer.
• Add the apple brandy and stir while scraping the bottom of the pan. Cook until the alcohol burns off. Sprinkle the flour over and stir until it has become a paste, then add the chicken stock. Stir until it becomes a thick gravy then pour in the apple cider and stir till it is combined.
• Return the chicken and bacon to the pan, add 2-3 sprigs of thyme and bring to a boil. Put the skillet into the preheated oven and bake for 1 hour.
• About 15 minutes before the chicken is done, fry the apple wedges. Use some of the reserved chicken fat or butter.
• Take the chicken out of the oven and let it rest while you mix the creme fraiche and Dijon mustard. Remove the chicken pieces to a platter. Add 4-5 Tablespoons of the sauce to the creme fraiche to temper it, then whisk the creme fraiche mixture into the rest of the sauce.
• Serve the chicken with the sauce, rice, cooked apples, and buttered peas.

CIDER-BRAISED TURKEY THIGHS WITH POTATOES AND APPLES

Steps:

• 1 Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees
• 2 Season the turkey thighs all over generously with salt and pepper
• 3 In a large Dutch oven, preferably enameled cast-iron and oval, over medium-high heat, heat the olive oil until shimmering
• 4 Place two of the thighs skin side down in the pot and sear until dark golden brown (the pieces should release easily once browned), 3 to 4 minutes, using a splatter screen as needed
• 5 Flip over and cook until the other side is dark golden brown as well, another 3 to 4 minutes, adjusting the heat as necessary
• 6 Some browning on the bottom of the pan (the fond) is good
• 7 Transfer the thighs to a large, rimmed baking sheet or platter and repeat with the remaining pieces
• 8 Reduce the heat to medium
• 9 Pour off all but about 1 tablespoon of the rendered turkey fat (you can strain and refrigerate the excess to save for roasting vegetables)
• 10 Remove any burned pieces of meat or skin
• 11 Add the garlic to the pan and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant and golden but not browned, 30 seconds to 1 minute
• 12 Add the cider vinegar to the pan, minding the vigorous bubbling and steam
• 13 Using a spatula or wooden spoon, scrape up any browned bits on the bottom of the pan
• 14 Stir constantly, cooking until the vinegar has reduced to about 1 tablespoon
• 15 Pour in the hard cider, scrape up any browned bits again, add 10 of the thyme sprigs and the bay leaves, and return the heat to medium-high
• 16 Let the cider bubble away until it has reduced by around two-thirds, 8 to 10 minutes (if you're using a round Dutch oven, you may want to take it a bit farther because the liquid won't cook down as readily in the oven)
• 17 Turn off the heat
• 18 Place the potatoes, carrots and apple wedges in the bottom of the pan
• 19 Season with salt and pepper
• 20 Arrange the browned turkey thighs on top, overlapping as little as possible
• 21 Cover, place the pan in the oven and braise for about 40 minutes, or until the turkey registers 155 to 160 degrees on an instant-read thermometer
• 22 (Don't be surprised if this takes longer if your ingredients are more overlapped due to the shape or size of your Dutch oven
• 23 ) Remove the lid and continue cooking until the meat reaches at least 165 degrees (a little higher is fine, as dark meat is forgiving) and the vegetables are tender, an additional 5 to 10 minutes
• 24 Discard the bay leaves and, if desired, the thyme sprigs
• 25 Let the braise rest for at least 10 minutes, as it will be very hot
• 26 You can return the lid to the pan if you're trying to keep it warmer longer - the Dutch oven will insulate it well
• 27 Sprinkle with the leaves from the remaining thyme sprigs, then serve directly from the pot, making sure to include plenty of the braising liquid
• 28 VARIATION: If you want to use chicken thighs, cut the vegetables a little smaller so they will cook through faster
• 29 Aim for 30 minutes covered in the oven and then take the lid off until the chicken is finished, an additional 15 to 20 minutes

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.