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braised chardonnay chicken with bay and fig

TheOrganizedChef avatar
Recipe by
Garrison Wayne
@TheOrganizedChef
La Quinta, CA

I don't think anything is as good and satisfying as braised chicken. The flavors are all melded together for a very comforting meal. I made this with very large chicken thighs, but you can use double the amount of smaller pieces. I give directions for a slow bake. I do that for two reasons. 1. It just tastes better that way. 2. You can assemble this well in advance of your dinner guests' arrival, and that's a good thing. If you are in a hurry, you can bake at 350 degrees for about 1 hour or 1 hour 15 minutes. This is a very wonderful, not spicy, way to present braised chicken.

yield 6 serving(s)
prep time 50 Min
cook time 3 Hr 30 Min
method Bake

Ingredients For braised chardonnay chicken with bay and fig

  • 3 Tbsp
    unsalted butter
  • 6 lg
    chicken thighs with bone and skin, or 12 small thighs, about 4 lbs total
  • 1 sm
    bay leaf for each chicken thigh, 6-12 total
  • 1 1/4 tsp
    kosher salt
  • 1/2 tsp
    coarse black pepper
  • FOR THE VEGETABLES
  • 3 Tbsp
    fat from the browned chicken pieces
  • 1 lg
    onion, quartered and sliced
  • 1 c
    peeled carrot, halved lenghtwise, sliced thin, about 4 small or 2 large
  • 7 lg
    cloves garlic, chopped
  • 1/2 tsp
    kosher salt
  • 1 c
    chardonnay wine
  • THE FIGS
  • 1 c
    blonde figs, dried, quartered, about 4-5 oz.

How To Make braised chardonnay chicken with bay and fig

  • 1
    Pat the chicken pieces dry with a paper towel. Place a bay leaf on the skin side of each thigh. Heat the butter in a large saute/fry pan over med/hi heat. Brown the chicken , skin and bay leaf down, for about 7 minutes. Flip over and brown the other side. Make sure when you flip that the bay leaf stays on the skin side. It will now be facing up.
  • 2
    When chicken is sufficiently browned, transfer to an rectangular baker, with the skin and bay leaf facing up. Salt and Pepper.
  • 3
    Dump the fat from the pan into a heat proof bowl and measure back 3 tablespoons. Heat over medium/hi heat. Add the onion and carrot and saute for 4-5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook 2 minutes more.
  • 4
    Add the 1/2 tsp salt and wine. Turn heat up to high and boil until almost no liquid remains.
  • 5
    Distribute the vegetables evenly around the chicken pieces.
  • 6
    Scatter the figs evenly over the chicken and vegetables.
  • 7
    Cover tightly with heavy duty foil. Bake in a slow oven 275 degrees for 3 1/2 hours. Serve over mashed potatoes. Place some green beans or asparagus on top.
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