Hearty Chicken Braised In Tomatoes Onion Garlic Recipes

CHICKEN LEGS BRAISED WITH TOMATOES, ONIONS, AND GARLIC

Steps:

• Season, the day before if possible: 4 chicken legs with Salt and fresh-ground black pepper. Heat a heavy-bottomed pan over medium heat. Add: 2 tablespoons olive oil.
• Place the chicken legs into the pan skin side down and cook until crisp and brown, about 12 minutes. Turn and cook for another 4 minutes. Remove the chicken and add: 2 onions, sliced thick (or diced large).
• Cook until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add and cook for 2 minutes: 4 garlic cloves, sliced thin, 1 bay leaf, 1 small rosemary sprig.
• Add and cook for 5 minutes, scraping up any brown bits from the bottom of the pan: 4 tomatoes, diced coarse, or 1 small (12-ounce) can organic whole tomatoes, diced (including juice).
• Arrange the chicken in the pan, skin side up, and pour in any juices that have collected. Pour in: 1 cup chicken broth.
• The liquid should reach halfway up the chicken; add more if needed. Bring to a boil and then turn down to a simmer. Cover and cook at a bare simmer or in a 325°F oven for 45 minutes. When done, pour the braising liquid into a small bowl and skim the fat. Discard the bay leaf and rosemary. Taste for salt and adjust as needed. Return to the pan and serve.
• Before adding the tomatoes to the onions add 1/3 cup dry white wine and reduce by half.
• Garnish with 1 tablespoon chopped parsley mixed with 1 garlic clove chopped fine.
• Substitute 2 breasts for 2 of the legs. Brown them, but do not add them to the braise until the legs have been cooking for 30 minutes.
• Use basil, oregano, or marjoram instead of rosemary.

BRAISED CHICKEN THIGHS WITH TOMATOES, PEPPERS AND ONIONS

Steps:

• Place a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat and add a film of olive oil. Sprinkle the chicken on both sides with salt and pepper and then add to the pan skin-side down. Cook without moving too much until golden brown and crisp, 5 to 6 minutes. Flip and brown on the other side for 1 to 2 minutes. Remove to a plate and set aside.
• Drain half of the fat from the pan and then place it back over the heat. Add the sausage to the pan, breaking it up as you add it. Brown for 1 to 2 minutes while continuing to break it up with the back of a spoon. Stir in the onions, peppers and garlic with a pinch of salt and cook until the onions begin to soften, about 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and then add the tomatoes, chicken stock and oregano, scraping the bottom of the pan for brown bits.
• Nestle the chicken back in, cover and cook until the chicken is cooked through and the sauce has thickened, 20 to 30 minutes.
• Stir in the vinegar and parsley and serve.

BRAISED CHICKEN WITH TOMATOES AND OLIVES

Steps:

• Pat chicken dry and season with salt and pepper. Heat oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then brown chicken in 2 batches, about 8 minutes, transferring as browned to a plate.
• Pour off all but 1 tablespoon fat from skillet. Add onion, garlic, and thyme to fat remaining in skillet and cook over moderately low heat, stirring, until softened, about 3 minutes. Stir in tomatoes, olives, salt, and pepper and return chicken to skillet. Simmer, covered, turning chicken occasionally, until chicken is cooked through, about 25 minutes.

HEARTY CHICKEN BRAISED IN TOMATOES, ONION & GARLIC

Steps:

• Gather your ingredients.
• Clean and dry the chicken, and then sprinkle with salt and pepper.
• Chef's Note: To save money, buy a whole chicken and cut it up yourself.
• Add the olive oil to a large skillet, over medium heat.
• When the oil begins to shimmer, add the chicken pieces, skin down and allow to sauté without moving for about 5 minutes.
• Turn the chicken over and sauté for an additional 5 minutes.
• Chef's Note: Unless you have one heck of a large pan, you will need to sauté the chicken in two batches.
• Chef's Note: If you crowd too much chicken into the pan, it won't sauté it... you'll steam it in it's own juices.
• Chef's Tip: In the right light, when you look at oil that's at a good temperature for sautéing; nice and hot, but not yet smoking, it will shimmer. Shimmering oil is good for sautéing because it increases the chances that the food won't stick. Hot oil immediately seals the bottom of food, creating a natural barrier between it and the bottom of the pan.
• Remove the chicken from the pan, and reserve.
• Leave about 2 tablespoons of the fat in the pan.
• Reduce the heat to medium low, and add the onions.
• Cook until they begin to soften, but not brown, about 5 minutes.
• Add the garlic, and cook for an additional minute.
• Chef's Tip: The garlic is ready when it becomes fragrant. Do not let it burn.
• Chef's Note: When the onions hit the pan, until the garlic is nice a fragrant, keep stirring and moving the ingredients around. A busy pan is a happy pan.
• Add the tomatoes and the chicken stock.
• Add a pinch of salt, and then stir to incorporate.
• Increase the heat under the sauté pan, and bring the liquid up to a simmer not a boil. When it hits the simmering stage, reduce the heat, but keep it hot enough to continue the simmer.
• Chef's Note: Use a wooden spoon to scrape up any fonds (brown bits) that many have developed while sautéing the onions and garlic.
• Taste the sauce and season, if necessary.
• Add the thyme springs to the sauce.
• Add the chicken pieces, skin-side up.
• Partially cover the sauté pan with the lid.
• Allow the dish to continue to simmer for an additional 30 minutes.
• Chef's Note: If you have the pan on a simmer, it will not be necessary to do anything else. Just enjoy the great smells coming from the pan.
• After the 30 minutes have elapsed, remove the chicken from the pan, add to a serving dish, and keep warm.
• Increase the heat under the sauce, and allow it to thicken a bit, about an additional 8-10 minutes.
• Return the chicken to the pan, and allow it to heat up a bit, and then return the chicken and the sauce to the serving dish.
• Serve with some good basmati rice. Enjoy.
• Keep the faith, and keep cooking.