CRISPY BRAISED CHICKEN THIGHS

CRISPY BRAISED CHICKEN THIGHS image

Categories Chicken

Yield 4 people

Number Of Ingredients 27

Ingredients

MARINATED CHICKEN
1/2 cup salt
1/2 cup sugar
1 orange, sliced
4 5 sprigs fresh thyme
1/2 onion, chopped
5 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed with the back of a knife
1 tablespoon black peppercorns, toasted
1 tablespoon coriander seeds, toasted
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
3 pounds chicken thighs with skin (about 8), bone in
BLACK BEAN TAPENADE
1/2 cup niçoise olives, pitted and roughly chopped
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon fermented black beans
1 tablespoon chiffonade of fresh mint
1/2 teaspoon sambal
1/2 teaspoon honey
SAUCE
1 tablespoon blended vegetable oil (half vegetable, half olive oil)
1/2 onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, chopped
1 quart chicken broth
1/2 cup white wine
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon blended vegetable oil (half vegetable, half olive oil)

Steps:

In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, combine 6 C water, salt, sugar, orange slices, thyme, onion, garlic, peppercorns, coriander, and pepper flakes. Boil, then remove pan from heat. Transfer to a container with a lid large enough to fit all of the chicken and cool to room temperature, then refrigerate until chilled. Add the chicken, cover, and marinate overnight Tapenade: In a small bowl, mix the olives, oil, lemon juice, beans, mint, sambal, and honey. Set aside. Sauce: Pull the chicken out of the marinade and discard the marinade. Place the chicken on a baking sheet lined with paper towels, skin-side down, to let it dry. Heat a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add 1/2 T of the oil, then half of the thighs, skin-side down. Turn the heat down to medium and let brown 4 to 5 mins. Turn and brown a couple of minutes more. Transfer the chicken, skin-side up, to a 4-inch-deep baking dish or potlarge enough to fit all the thighs in one layer (4 by 8 in.). Repeat with another 1/2 T oil and the remaining thighs. Sauce: After the thighs are browned and are in the baking dish, discard all but 1 T of fat from the sauté pan. Add the onions and garlic and brown for 4 to 5 mins. Transfer them into the baking dish with the thighs. Bring the broth to a boil in a separate saucepan. Preheat the oven to 275. Return the sauté pan to the heat and add the wine. Simmer to reduce by half, loosening the browned bits. Add to the baking dish with the hot broth. Cover the baking dish with a lid or foil and place it in the oven to braise until very tender, about 2 hours. Remove it from the oven, uncover, and let the chicken cool in the liquid for 30 mins to finish up cooking. Remove the thighs and transfer to rack, skin-side up. Strain liquid from the dish through a sieve into a saucepan. Let sit for the fat to separate, 10 minutes, then skim off most of the fat. Place the pan on high heat and simmer the sauce to reduce. Reduce the heat to low and whisk in butter.