Simple and Good Braised Chicken
This is such a simple chicken recipe, that it risked being called “Chicken With No Name.” It is endlessly adaptable, depending on available ingredients, personal preferences, time and circumstances. I have made it several times over the past few weeks, and it is always a hit.
Ingredients:
1 chicken cut in parts, skinned
Optional: leave skin on and sear the chicken pieces until browned for added flavor
2 -3 carrots, sliced
2 onions, sliced
2 celery stalks with leaves, cut in 1″ pieces
Optional: 1-2 parsnips, or other vegetables. Don’t add too many vegetables, or else the chicken will be overwhelmed. The more simple, the better the outcome.
Salt, to taste. Add the salt sparingly after it is cooked. Kosher chicken tends to be salty, and too much salt ruins the flavor.
1/2 teaspoon coarse black pepper, or to taste
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
Optional: paprika adds a nice flavor and color
2 bay leaves (I love bay leaves, so I like to add more)
1-2 cloves of garlic, crushed, near the end
1/2 cup water Optional: use chicken broth, or wine
Optional: 1 can crushed tomatoes or tomato paste for a thicker broth
Optional: 3-4 potatoes, peeled and cut in quarters
Optional: Thicken broth with 1-2 tablespoons of flour or starch. I usually dissolve the starch in a small amount of broth, and then add it to the dish and simmer until thickened.
Optional: If you REALLY want to be fancy, brown the starch or flour in fat, and then gradually add the liquid and stir or whisk until desired thickness. This takes a bit of time and skill, so I don’t recommend it if you are time challenged. It is something I do only for special occasions and for the right audience. My family does not like thicken sauce, and I find that it makes the leftovers “gloppy.”
Instructions
Place carrots, onions, and celery in the bottom of the pot. If you have the time, you could saute the vegetables until browned, however, I did not. Add the chicken pieces on top of the vegetables and sprinkle with pepper, garlic powder, and if using, paprika or other desired spices. Then add the liquid, and, the (optional) tomato puree or paste.
I place the chicken on top of the vegetables so that the stock almost steams or roasts the chicken.
The secret is to cook the chicken with only a minimal amount of liquid or stock. And, only add a minimal amount of salt after it is cooked. Too much salt, or liquid, and the taste is altered. I also only add crushed fresh garlic at the end. In general, less is more with this chicken recipe. The beauty is in its simplicity.
Stove top: bring to boil and let simmer until done. Add crushed garlic, salt and adjust seasonings to taste.
Crockpot. Cook on low until done. Add crushed garlic, salt and adjust seasonings to taste.
In pressure cooker: 7 minutes to pressure and then use the quick release method by running cold water over the lid when done. Add crushed garlic, salt and adjust seasonings to taste.
This week, I made it in the crockpot overnight. I adjusted the seasonings when I got up this morning before going to work. I forgot to take a picture of it in the crockpot. So, I only have pictures when I made it on the stove top.
Here are the pictures:
Everyone was soooooo happy! Raizel said, “I am obsessed with this chicken. It is scary good!” My husband said, “This chicken is killer!” It is one of the few times that there were actually no leftovers.
It is fast, easy, all natural and simple — cooking for the time challenged at its best.
Enjoy!
Comfort food at it’s best. חג שמח! 🙂
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Agreed! חג שמח! 🕊🎉
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This looks and sounds delicious – I can’t wait to try it!
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It was a hit! So simple and so good!🐥😍
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This looks great! And I’m with you on the bay leaves – I’m always adding more to recipes.
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My sister and I joke that everything tastes better with bay leaves. 😊
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I do this in my toaster convection oven with boneless skinless chicken thighs and cut the small fat tags off before cooking.. no water, no broth.. just veggies and seasonings, no salt needed.. What amazes me is the broth the chicken and veggies make..
You have this perfect with saying how versatile it is as well..
My favorite go to thickener is instant potatoes.. It works well and very controllable to get just the right texture.. And I’ve never had it go glooby or globby with leftovers.. I like it most for that and that it doesn’t affect the taste.. I guess it would have a very negative effect if you go overboard.. With instant potatoes, less is better til you hit that perfect sauce 😊
Shame on Jay eating right out of the pot !
But looking at the pics, I can’t hardly blame him..
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Instant potatoes, I never thought of that 🤔 I usually use potato or tapioca starch, and it’s great fresh, and then falls apart. Corn starch gets gloopy. Instant potatoes usually have chemicals, like EDTA. Maybe I can find a chemical free kosher one and try it? Boneless thighs on top of the veggies also sounds good. The broth becomes like a rich chicken soup. I wonder if it could be individually wrapped in parchment paper for an elegant and easy clean up meal? I never tried that before. It was funny about Jay. Usually he likes chicken dry and roasted, It is very unusual for him to like it braised. 😍
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I just found out that all Bob’s Red Mill products are K kosher certified.. Most all brands of organic instant potatoes I’ve found are too.. The only thing I found worrisome was all contain mono and di glcerides from palm oil, which only is a problem if the heat in processing is too high.. I’m thinking that a call to the manufacturer would shed light on that.. But to use as a thickener rather than a staple, the tiny amounts wouldn’t worry me.. Hope this helps in your search 😊
Individually wrapped ? Why not ? Maybe it’ll keep Jay out of the pot 😂
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😂
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This looks so good and hearty! I love the real flavors!
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Such a simple recipe and yet so tasty. To quote my good friend Judy (who unfortunately passed away), “nothing tastes a good as real food.”
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Yes that is the truth! I like real and simple
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😍
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Basic and great – I make that too, with addition of chick peas, and call it Chicken Chaulent.
Hag Sameach!
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I used to make it with chickpeas too. I loved the flavor the chicken gave the chickpeas. Chag sameach to you too!
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Thank you!
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😊
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