SKILLET-BRAISED CHICKEN
Quite a few other things may be as delicious as braised
chicken legs, but few things braise faster or easier, so,
more often than not when I’m in the mood for tender,
moist, stewed meat, chicken it is.I rarely braise chicken using same recipe twice, but there
are some common themes in all of them. The key to really
great braised chicken is in the browning. You’ve got to
brown the skin in the skillet until it’s deeply golden brown
and extraordinarily crisp, then make sure that the skin
remains above the level of the liquid the entire time it’s
cooking so that the crispness remains. What you end up
with is fall-off-the-bone-tender meat deeply flavored with
sauce and the crisp skin of a perfectly roasted chicken.
You definitely want to use dark meat for this. It has more
connective tissue, which slowly breaks down into gelatin as
the chicken braises, lubricating the meat and adding some
nice richness to the sauce. White meat will just dry out.
One of my favorite recipes uses a splash of white wine, a
can of tomatoes, a handful of chopped capers and olives,
and a good sprinkle of cilantro. If I’m in the mood, I
substitute smoked paprika for the regular kind and sautéed
peppers and onions for the tomatoes, omit the capers and
olives, and finish it off with parsley and a splash of vinegar.
Equally good is a version with more white wine, a couple
cups of chicken stock, and plenty of parsley and pancetta.
Yet another variation incorporates mushrooms, shallots, and
slab bacon. Again, it’s the technique that matters—the