Best Braised Ranchero Chicken Recipes

CROCK POT RANCHERO CHICKEN

Steps:

• For the Ranchero Sauce: Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add shallot, bell pepper, and jalapeno pepper, season with salt and pepper, then saute until vegetables are tender, 5 minutes. Add garlic, cumin, and cayenne pepper then saute for 1 more minute. Add chicken broth and crushed tomatoes then turn heat to high to bring liquid to a boil. Reduce heat slightly then boil, stirring often, until sauce reduces by half (3 cups,) about 20 minutes. (A splatter screen is very helpful, especially near the end.) Taste then add salt and pepper if necessary, and then stir in fresh cilantro.
• To a large, 5-6 quart crock pot, add the chicken broth, salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, lime juice, chicken breasts and 2 cups Rancher Sauce. Cover and cook on low for 4-5 hours then shred chicken and place back in the juices to cook on low for 1 more hour. Scoop chicken into a storage container then mix with remaining Ranchero Sauce. Use chicken as filling for tacos, enchiladas, nachos, or tostadas.

BRAISED CHICKEN WITH OKRA AND TOMATOES

Steps:

• Cook the bacon in a large wide pot or Dutch oven over high heat, stirring, until crisp, about 4 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon to paper towels to drain; leave the drippings in the pot.
• Season the chicken generously with salt and pepper and dust with the flour. Add skin-side down to the pot with the bacon drippings; cook until golden brown, 5 to 8 minutes.
• Meanwhile, trim the okra and thinly slice the onion. Remove the chicken to a plate; add the okra, onion, garlic, oregano and red pepper flakes to the pot. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally and scraping up any browned bits, until the onion starts softening, about 4 minutes. Crush the tomatoes into the pot with your hands and stir well; bring to a boil. Nestle the chicken skin-side up in the sauce. Cover, reduce the heat to medium low and simmer until the chicken is cooked through and the okra is tender, 15 to 20 minutes.
• Stir the reserved bacon into the okra mixture and season with salt and pepper. Serve the chicken and okra mixture with cornbread.

BRAISED CHICKEN SAUSAGES

Steps:

• Put all ingredients in a large high sided saute pan. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium-high and cook until stock has evaporated and a glaze has formed over all. With tongs toss sausages with onions and serve.

BRAISED CHICKEN WITH MUSHROOMS

Steps:

• Quick-cooking polenta made to package directions, or crusty-style bake-off packaged bread such as ciabatta or, fresh crusty bread - pop in freezer if storing more than one night.
• Place the dried mushrooms, and stock in small pot over medium-high heat. Bring to low boil then reduce heat to low and reconstitute.
• Heat a thin layer of olive oil, a couple of turns of the pan, in a large skillet with a tight-fitting lid or a Dutch oven, over medium-high heat. Pat the chicken pieces dry, and season liberally with salt and pepper. To avoid crowding the pan, brown 1/2 the chicken at a time, skin-side down, for 5 minutes, then turn the chicken and brown 3 to 4 minutes more.
• Remove the browned chicken to a plate and add to the pan the sliced fresh mushrooms, browning the mushrooms for 10 to 15 minutes. Add the onion, carrot, celery, garlic, thyme, and bay leaves, salt, and pepper and stir 10 minutes more to soften.
• Deglaze the pot with the Marsala. Add the chicken pieces back to the pot and arrange the vegetables and mushrooms on top. Remove the porcinis from the small pot, roughly chop, and add to chicken. Pour the porcini stock over the chicken, reserving the last couple of spoonfuls, as this is where any grit may have settled.
• Cover and braise at a low simmer for 30 minutes over low heat. Cool and store for a make-ahead meal. Reheat over a medium flame, or in a preheated 325 degree F oven, and heat through 20 to 30 minutes. Serve with quick-cooking polenta or crusty bread, and garnish with chopped celery tops.

BRAISED CHICKEN WITH TOMATILLOS AND JALAPENOS

Steps:

• For the chicken: Preheat the grill.
• Place the tomatillos and jalapenos on the grill and cook until the skins char and blister, 10 to 12 minutes. Remove the tomatillos and jalapenos from the grill and let cool.
• Coat a large, wide straight-sided saute pan with olive oil and bring to medium-high heat.
• Sprinkle the chicken generously with salt. Add the chicken legs and thighs, skin-side down, to the hot pan. Brown the chicken well on all sides. Remove from the pan and reserve.
• Ditch the excess fat from the pan and add a few drops of new oil. Add the onions, season with salt and cook until the onions are very soft and aromatic, 7 to 8 minutes.
• While the onions are cooking, coarsely chop the tomatillos and reserve. Chop the jalapenos into 1/4-inch dice and reserve with the tomatillos. If you want to tone down the heat, remove the seeds from the jalapenos before chopping.
• Add the garlic to the pan with the onions and cook for 1 to 2 minutes.
• Add the reserved tomatillos and jalapenos. Stir to combine and add the chicken stock, lime juice and zest. Taste and season with salt if needed (it probably will).
• Return the chicken to the pan and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cover. Cook for 15 minutes.
• Remove the lid and let cook for 15 more minutes. This will allow the stock to reduce. Taste for seasoning and adjust if needed.
• For the sour cream: Combine the sour cream with the lime zest and juice and reserve.
• Remove the chicken from the pan and stir in the cilantro.
• Spoon the sauce over the chicken, sprinkle with cilantro leaves and serve with the lime sour cream.
• Beverage Pairing Suggestion: Light Lager

BAKED RANCH CHICKEN

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease baking sheet with vegetable oil.
• Put bread crumbs and ranch dressing into separate bowls.
• Dip chicken into ranch dressing and press into bread crumbs to coat. Gently toss between your hands so any bread crumbs that haven't stuck can fall away. Arrange onto prepared baking sheet.
• Bake in preheated oven until no longer pink in the center and the juices run clear, about 30 minutes. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read at least 165 degrees F (74 degrees C).

CHICKEN RANCHERO

Steps:

• Saute chicken over medium heat,in olive oil about 5 minutes.
• Add onions and continue cooking until chicken is done and onions are soft (about 10 more minutes).
• Add garlic, green chiles and broth.
• Bring to boiling.
• Reduce heat and simmer, covered for 30 minutes.
• Stir in salsa.
• Bring to a boil.
• Remove from heat.
• Gently fold in cubed cheddar cheese.
• Serve immediately over beds of rice.

GARLIC-BRAISED CHICKEN

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350 degrees.
• In a large Dutch oven over medium-high, add enough oil to lightly coat the bottom. Season the chicken with salt on both sides, then add to the pot skin side down. Cook until the skin turns golden and crispy, 8 to 10 minutes. If the skin browns too quickly, lower the heat. Flip, and sear the other side briefly, about 1 minute. Transfer the chicken to a plate and set aside.
• Add the garlic to the schmaltzy oil over medium-high, and stir until fragrant and very lightly golden at the edges, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in the white pepper, then immediately add the wine and 1 cup water. Scrape up any stuck-on bits from the bottom of the pot while bringing the liquid to a simmer. Nestle the chicken in the pot skin side up, cover and cook in the oven until the chicken and garlic are meltingly tender, and the wine has reduced, about 1 hour. Taste for seasoning, adding more salt if needed. Serve with rice.

BREADED RANCH OR RANCHERO CHICKEN

Steps:

• In bowl, combine cereal, salad dressing mix and cheese.
• Dip chicken into melted butter, then dip into above mixture.
• Bake in a greased, 9x13 dish, uncovered at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes.