Tuesday, November 25, 2008

Zesty Braised Chicken with Lemons and Capers

I found some chicken thighs hiding in my freezer, and consulted my recipe folder for some way to use them. After running my top 3 pics by Hubby, we chose Zesty Braised Chicken with Lemons and Capers from Eat. Drink. Think.

Here's my cast of characters. Très belle mise en place, no?
















I love this recipe - a little work at the beginning, then you get to relax for a while. Brown the chicken, slowly sauté the garlic, deglaze with wine, add broth and seasonings, tuck the chicken into its nice warm bath, and braise for 45 minutes.

I deviated from the recipe by reducing the braising liquid (minus the chicken) after the chicken was done, and adding a little flour to thicken it. And right before I sautéed the garlic, I did a quick deglaze with just a bit of the wine, because I was worried about my fond burning while the garlic was sautéing. Paranoid that way, I guess.

Served with white rice and roasted carrots and parsnips.

Hubby swears he hates wine in cooking, but he couldn't stop eating this. Little chihuahua liked it too, she stole the last piece off the table when we were out of the room, and ate the entire thing. I only found half the thigh bone. But it's been 48 hours, no signs of chicken-bone-illness, so I think we're in the clear. But she's seriously busted. Little thief.

6 comments:

Betts said...

Sounds delish. I love braised chicken, and I especially love that part where you get a break in the cooking action. It's a chance for a relaxing glass of wine or cocktail.

Vicki said...

Hi Betts - And it doesn't take nearly as long as roasting a whole chicken, so it's suitable for a weeknight after a long day at work :)

T’s Treats said...

hehe.. the naughty little devil!! It sounds fantastic!!

Vicki said...

Hi SweetDesigns -
Naughty? How about I tell you about how when she was 2.5lbs and stole a lamb shank bigger than she was :)

Ruth Strong said...

Hey, I love lemon with chicken. I really should try it with capers sometime cos it sounds delish!

Thanks for sending this to bookmarked recipes

Vicki said...

Hi Ruth -
I bet the sauce would work with fish, too.