Best Braised Greens Recipes

BRAISED WHITE BEANS AND GREENS WITH PARMESAN

Steps:

• In a 12-inch skillet or Dutch oven, heat the olive oil over medium. Add the fennel, onion and rosemary, and cook for 4 to 6 minutes, stirring occasionally, until tender. Add the garlic and red-pepper flakes and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
• Begin adding handfuls of the greens, cooking and stirring until leaves wilt.
• Add the white beans, broth and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, and stir to combine. Bring to a boil, then turn the heat to low and simmer, mashing some of the beans with a wooden spoon, until the liquid has reduced and thickened, 6 to 8 minutes.
• Off the heat, stir in the lemon juice, then the mozzarella, if using, and Pecorino Romano. Taste and season with salt and pepper. Divide among shallow bowls and top with more Pecorino Romano. Serve with toasted bread and a dish of red-pepper flakes on the side.

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 COLLARD GREENS WITH BACON

Steps:

• Cut and trim the collard greens, removing the tough stems. Roughly chop the trimmed greens into 1/2-inch ribbons.
• Cook the bacon in a large skillet over medium heat until crispy, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer to a plate with a slotted spoon to leave behind all of the delicious bacon fat to cook the collard greens in.
• Add the onions and red pepper flakes to the same skillet. Depending on the bacon you use, you may need more fat in the pan, so add the canola oil if needed. Saute until the onions are softened, fragrant and beginning to brown, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the garlic and sweat 30 seconds. Then add the collard greens, stirring constantly until softened. Pour in the chicken broth and wine and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover and cook until the greens are tender, 30 to 35 minutes.
• Once the greens are tender, return the bacon to the pan, add the lemon juice and season with salt and pepper.

QUICK-BRAISED GREENS AND BEANS WITH BACON

Steps:

• Prepare the greens: Cut the tough stems out of the greens and discard. Stack the leaves, roll tightly crosswise and slice into 3/4-inch-wide ribbons. Transfer to a large bowl, cover with cold water and swish to remove grit. Transfer greens to a colander, cleaning them a second time if the water remaining in the bowl is visibly dirty.
• Cook 2 bacon slices in a large Dutch oven or other heavy pot over medium heat, turning occasionally, until browned and crisp, about 6 minutes. Transfer the cooked bacon to a paper towel-lined plate. Meanwhile, cut the remaining 2 bacon slices crosswise into 1/4-inch-wide strips.
• Add the 1/4-inch bacon strips to the hot bacon fat and cook, stirring, until the fat in the bacon strips starts to render, about 1 minute. Add the onion and a pinch each of salt and pepper and cook, stirring often, until golden brown around the edges, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and sage and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute.
• Stir in the stock, scraping up any browned bits on the bottom of the pot. Cover, reduce the heat to low and simmer, 5 minutes.
• Increase the heat to medium, add the greens, season with salt and pepper and stir until just wilted, about 2 minutes. Cover and cook until tender with a little bite, about 3 minutes.
• Uncover and add the beans and hot sauce. Stir until the beans are heated through, 2 to 3 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Divide among serving dishes and crumble the cooked bacon slices on top. Serve with more hot sauce.

BRAISED CHICKEN THIGHS WITH GREENS AND OLIVES

Steps:

• Season chicken thighs well with salt and pepper. In a large heavy-bottomed skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add the chicken thighs, skin-side down, and cook undisturbed until nicely browned, about 5 to 6 minutes. Flip and brown the other side, about 4 to 5 minutes more. Transfer to a plate and set aside.
• Pour off all but 2 tablespoons of fat from the pan and return to medium-low heat. Add red onion, and cook until it begins to soften, about 1 to 2 minutes. Add garlic and red-pepper flakes, if using, and cook for 30 seconds more.
• Add chopped greens to the pan and stir, tossing to coat in the residual chicken fat. It may seem like a lot of greens, but they will cook down. Add the chicken thighs and any juices that have accumulated back to the pan and lay them on top of the greens. Pour in enough of the chicken stock to come up to the chicken about halfway. Bring the chicken to a gentle simmer. Partly cover and allow the chicken to finish cooking through, about 20 minutes more.
• Stir in olives and raisins and cook uncovered until they are warmed through, and the raisins are nicely plumped, about 1 minute more. Garnish with parsley, if using, and serve. Season with flaky salt, if desired.

BRAISED COLLARD GREENS

Steps:

• Place ham hocks, salt pork, onion, bay leaves, red pepper flakes, and sugar in a large pot with the chicken stock. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to simmer, and cook for 30 minutes.
• Stir collard greens into the pot, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer, and cook for 30 minutes, or until greens are tender. Season with red wine vinegar and salt and pepper to taste.

CRISPY BRAISED CHICKEN THIGHS WITH CANNELLINI BEANS AND GREENS

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a Dutch oven or pot (at least 4 inches high and large enough to hold the chicken thighs in a single layer; see Cook's Note) over medium-high heat.
• Thoroughly pat dry the chicken thighs and sprinkle both sides with salt and pepper, seasoning the skins generously. Place the chicken thighs skin-side down in the pot and cook, undisturbed, until the skins are dark golden, about 8 minutes. They will sizzle a lot but don't worry and do not move the chicken thighs. If the pot starts to smoke or smells like the chicken is burning, reduce the heat a little (see Cook's Note).
• Flip chicken thighs and cook the other side until browned, about 5 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a wire rack set in a rimmed baking sheet.
• Reduce the heat to medium and add the onions to pot. Cook, stirring, until translucent, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the garlic and herbs and cook, stirring, until the onions and garlic are lightly browned. Add the wine, scraping up the browned bits from the bottom of the pot (the wine will help loosen the bits).
• IF USING CANNED BEANS: Return the chicken thighs, skin-side up, to the pot, nestling them between the onions. Add enough chicken stock to cover the onions and garlic and about 3/4 up the chicken thighs, letting the chicken skin sit above the stock. Increase the heat to bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer the chicken for 25 minutes.
• Remove 2 to 3 chicken thighs from the pot. Add the beans and stir into the stock. Reposition the chicken thighs in the pot on top of the beans so the chicken skin remains exposed. Return the 2 to 3 chicken thighs to the pot, skin-side up. Add more stock to cover the beans, if necessary. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes. Carefully stir the greens into the beans, around the chicken, then simmer until the greens are tender, 8 to 10 more minutes.
• IF USING DRIED BEANS: Add the soaked dried beans to the onions and garlic in the pot. Add enough chicken stock to cover the beans by about 2 inches. Increase the heat, bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 45 minutes.
• Return the chicken thighs, skin-side up, to the pot, nestling them in the beans slightly so that the skin isn't submerged. Simmer, uncovered, until the beans are tender, adding more stock if the beans start to get too dry, for another 35 minutes. Taste the beans and add salt and/or pepper, to taste. Carefully stir the greens into the beans, around the chicken, then simmer until the greens are tender, about 10 minutes.
• Ladle the beans and greens into shallow bowls then top with the chicken thighs. Add a drizzle of olive oil (for the omega-3 balance!), squeeze of lemon and chopped fresh parsley.

BRAISED COLLARD GREENS

Steps:

• Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy-bottomed pot with a lid over medium-high. When hot, add ham hocks. When they're sizzling, flip and crisp the other side.
• Add the onions and stir so they are coated in the fat and nestled under and around the hocks. Turn the heat down to medium and cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are soft, 6 to 8 minutes.
• Add the garlic, paprika, cumin, cayenne, salt and brown sugar, and stir until fragrant, about 2 minutes.
• Pour in the chicken stock and hard cider and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 2 hours, until the ham hocks are very tender.
• Remove the ham hocks and allow to cool slightly. Skim the fat off the surface of the stock. When cool enough to handle, remove the meat from the bone (discard the fat and the skin) and chop into 1/4- to 1/2-inch pieces and set aside.
• Bring the stock back to a boil, then add the greens in large handfuls, pressing them down to wilt in the hot stock before adding more leaves. Add the reserved ham hock meat.
• Reduce heat to low, cover the pot, and simmer for 25 to 30 minutes, until the greens are silky and tender. Season with salt and serve with hot sauce and a splash of apple cider vinegar, if desired.

COCONUT-BRAISED COLLARD GREENS

Steps:

• Cut off and discard any dry or wilted bits from the collard greens and wash the remaining collards in cold water. Transfer to a colander to drain, then coarsely chop the stems and leaves into 2- to 3-inch pieces.
• In a large wok or skillet, heat butter and oil over medium-high until rippling. Add scallions and cook, stirring, until softened, about 1 minute. Add collards and cook, stirring, just until wilted, about 1 minute.
• Add coconut milk and soy sauce and bring to a simmer. Simmer, uncovered, stirring frequently, until collards are cooked to your taste, about 7 minutes for bright and crisp greens or 10 minutes for darker, softer greens.
• Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve immediately.

BRAISED COLLARD GREENS, MUSTARD GREENS, AND RED SWISS CHARD

Steps:

• In a large pot heat oil and bacon over high heat until bacon is well browned. Stir in garlic and cook 45 seconds. Deglaze with chicken stock and vinegar. Add sugar and greens and partially cover. Lower heat to medium and cook for 30 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

BRAISED COLLARD GREENS

Steps:

• Cook the bacon in a deep saute pan on medium-high heat until crisp, then set aside, leaving the fat in the pan. Add the red pepper flakes, garlic and lemon zest, and saute until fragrant. Add the collard greens and cook until they begin to wilt. Add the chicken stock and 1/2 cup water and cover, lowering the heat to a simmer. Let cook until the greens are tender, 30 to 40 minutes. Uncover, add back the bacon, raise the heat to medium-high, and reduce the liquid by one-quarter, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the lemon juice, and season with salt and pepper.

BOOZY BRAISED COLLARD GREENS

Steps:

• Remove stems from greens and discard. Roll up like a cigar and slice into ribbons.
• In a large pot over medium heat, add bacon, onion, and garlic. Render bacon until crisp and the onion is tender, about 6 minutes.
• Stir in brown sugar, vinegar, broth, and bourbon. Season with salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer and stir in the collard greens in batches. Cover and cook for 1 1/2 hours until tender and soft.

CREAMY POLENTA WITH BRAISED GREENS AND POACHED EGGS

Steps:

• Make the chile oil: Combine the chopped chiles, olive oil and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a small saucepan over low heat and cook 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool completely. Transfer to a bowl, cover and refrigerate up to 1 week. (You will have about 1 1/4 cups chile oil.)
• Cook the polenta: Bring 3 cups cold water, the milk, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper to a boil in a medium saucepan over high heat. Gradually whisk in the polenta; whisk constantly until the mixture is smooth and begins to thicken, about 5 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium low and simmer, stirring often, until tender and thickened but still creamy, about 30 minutes. Add more hot water as needed if the mixture seems too dry. Stir in the butter and cheese.
• Meanwhile, make the braised greens: Heat the olive oil in a large high-sided saute pan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until softened, 4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until slightly golden brown, about 2 minutes. Add the greens, season with salt and pepper and toss. Reduce the heat to medium, stir in 1 cup water, cover and cook until wilted and soft, about 20 minutes. Remove the lid during the last 5 minutes to cook off any additional liquid. Stir in the red wine vinegar just before serving.
• Poach the eggs: Heat 3 cups water with the white vinegar until simmering in a large high-sided frying pan. Break each egg into a cup, then gently add to the water. Poach until the yolks are nearly set, 4 to 5 minutes. Remove the eggs from the pan with a slotted spoon to drain the liquid and place on a plate. Season with salt and pepper.
• To serve, spoon some of the polenta into bowls, top with some of the greens and a poached egg per bowl. Drizzle with the chile oil and garnish with the chopped parsley.

BRAISED CHICKEN THIGHS WITH SQUASH AND MUSTARD GREENS

Steps:

• Lightly season chicken thighs all over with salt and pepper. Heat vegetable oil in a large Dutch oven or other heavy pot over medium-high. Working in 2 batches and pouring off all but 2 Tbsp. fat between batches, cook chicken, skin side down, until skin is browned and crisp, 8-10 minutes. Transfer to a plate, placing skin side up (chicken will not be cooked through at this point).
• Cook white and pale green parts of scallions, chiles, and ginger in same pot, stirring often, until scallions and ginger are golden, about 3 minutes. Add wine, bring to a simmer, and cook until reduced to about 3 Tbsp., 5 minutes. Add soy sauce, brown sugar, sesame oil, and 1 cup broth and bring to a simmer, stirring to dissolve sugar. Return chicken to pot, placing skin side up and overlapping if needed. Partially cover pot, reduce heat, and simmer until chicken is cooked through, 25-30 minutes. Transfer chicken to a plate.
• Add squash and remaining 1 cup broth to pot and push in squash so it's mostly submerged. Arrange greens on top. Bring to a simmer, partially cover pot, and cook until squash is barely fork-tender and greens are wilted, 10-12 minutes. Uncover, increase heat to medium, and continue to cook until liquid is reduced by about two-thirds and has the consistency of thin gravy, 10-15 minutes.
• Remove pot from heat and drizzle vinegar over vegetables. Taste sauce; it should be plenty salty, but season with more salt if needed. Add chicken back to pot, turning to coat in sauce, then scatter dark green parts of scallions and sesame seeds over top. Serve with rice.
• Chicken can be braised 2 days ahead. Let cool; cover and chill. Reheat covered over low.

WHITE HOUSE GARDEN HERB-ROASTED CHICKEN WITH BRAISED GREENS

Steps:

• Mix the herbs, mustard and olive oil in a nonreactive baking dish. Add the chicken, season with salt and pepper and turn to coat evenly. Cover and marinate in the refrigerator at least 1 hour or overnight.
• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Place the chicken on a foil-lined baking sheet and roast until the meat is cooked through and the skin is crisp, 30 to 40 minutes.
• Meanwhile, saute the bacon in a deep pan or Dutch oven over medium heat until rendered, about 5 minutes. Add the onion and cook until translucent, 6 to 7 minutes. Add the greens, in batches, and saute until wilted, about 4 minutes. Add the chicken stock, cover and gently braise over low heat until tender, about 40 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and serve with the chicken.

VEGAN BRAISED COLLARD GREENS WITH MUSHROOMS

Steps:

• Make the stock: Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. When hot, add the rosemary and thyme, and stir until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the mushrooms, carrot, onion, celery, bay leaf and dried shiitakes and stir so the vegetables are coated in oil. Add 5 cups water, then bring to a boil over medium-high heat.
• Lower the heat and simmer for 20 minutes. Strain, reserving the rehydrated dried shiitakes. Cut the shiitakes into 1/4-inch cubes and set aside. Taste the broth and adjust salt as necessary.
• Make the collards: In a large pot with a lid, heat the olive oil over medium-high. Add red-pepper flakes, sliced mushrooms and reserved shiitakes from the broth. Cook until mushrooms are deeply brown, 8 to 10 minutes. Add the salt, onions and smoked paprika and cook until soft, about 5 more minutes.
• Pour in the mushroom stock and bring to a boil. Add the collard greens in large handfuls, pressing them down to wilt in the hot stock before adding more leaves.
• Turn the heat down to medium-low to simmer, then cover the pot and cook for 25 to 30 minutes, until the greens are silky and tender. Stir in soy sauce, starting with 1 tablespoon, and maple syrup. Taste the greens and adjust salt and sweetness as necessary. Serve with lemon wedges for a sour finish.

BRAISED COLLARD GREENS

Steps:

• Strip the collards off the stems and tear into pieces. Discard the stems.
• In a large stock pot, sauté the diced bacon over medium heat until it has rendered out most of its fat and has browned.
• Add the onions to the pot and sauté until browned.
• Add the greens a handful at a time, and sauté over medium heat, while stirring. Once one handful wilts, add the next handful. Continue until all the greens are wilted.
• Add the sliced garlic and sauté for 30 seconds - just until it becomes fragrant.
• Add 1 quart of the stock. If this is not enough to cover the greens, keep adding stock (or water, if you don't have any more stock) until the greens are covered.
• Add the bay leaves, sugar, pepper, red pepper flakes, and salt. A NOTE ON THE AMOUNT OF SALT TO USE: I use home made ham hock stock to make this, and the saltiness of the stock depends on the saltiness of the hocks they are made from (this can vary considerably). Because of this it is important to always taste the stock you are working with before adding any additional salt to the dish. If you are using store bought chicken stock, I would not add any salt at this point. I would cook the greens for 2 hours, and then taste to see if you need any additional salt. Store bought chicken stock is very salty, even the "less sodium" kind. You can always put more salt in, but you can't take it out, so go easy here.
• Bring to a boil and stir well. Lower the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 2 hours.
• Remove the bay leaves and taste the greens. If you think they need more salt, now is the time to add it.
• IF YOU ARE MAKING THE GREENS AHEAD OF TIME:.
• Leave the bay leaves in the pot. Taste and add more salt IF NEEDED. Refrigerate for up to 2 days. When you are ready to serve, re-heat the greens on the stove over medium heat. Remove the bay leaves before serving.

COCONUT MILK BRAISED COLLARD GREENS

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the shallots and garlic and cook, stirring often, until the shallots are translucent and the garlic is golden brown, about 10 minutes. Add the collards, coconut milk and 5-spice powder, season with salt and cook over low to medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the mixture is reduced and creamy, about 10 minutes. Season with salt and serve.

QUICK-BRAISED CHICKEN WITH GREENS

Steps:

• In a large pot over medium-high, heat the oil. Add the onion, season with salt and cook, stirring just a few times, until translucent and browned, 6 to 9 minutes. Add the peppers, tomato paste, brown sugar and cumin, and cook, stirring constantly, until the paste is a shade darker and starts to stick to the bottom of the pot, 2 to 3 minutes.
• Add the broth, chicken, greens and pickled-pepper brine. Season with salt and stir to combine. Cover the pot, keep on medium-high and bring to a simmer. Uncover, reduce heat to low, and cook uncovered until the chicken is cooked through and the greens are tender, 15 to 20 minutes. Using two forks, shred the chicken right in the pot into pieces, then stir to combine. Taste and adjust with salt, sugar (if it's too tangy or spicy) and brine (if it's too sweet or flat). Eat with starch of choice.

BRAISED LEEKS AND MUSTARD GREENS

Steps:

• Trim leeks so that about 1 1/2 inches of green leaves remain, and slice the leeks in half lengthwise. Separate leaves and pull the leeks apart to rinse away any dirt and sand in the layers, then chop leeks into 1 1/2-inch pieces.
• Melt butter in a skillet over medium heat, and cook and stir the leeks until they begin to separate and soften, about 5 minutes. Stir in mustard greens, and pour in enough chicken broth to just cover the bottom of the pan and prevent leeks from browning. Cook the leeks and mustard greens until the greens turn bright green and start to soften, another 2 to 3 minutes. Season to taste with salt and black pepper, and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.