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Braised Chicken Thighs

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The temperatures were dropping and the wind was whipping last night.  I knew my guys were gonna hit the door with pink cheeks and noses with the first thing out of their mouths is, “what’s for dinner, Mom, we’re cold and starving!” No problem – I was ready. Earlier in the day, I had picked up some chicken leg quarters, veggies and stock.  I wanted to make a dish that was warm, packed with flavor and filling.
braised chicken leg quarters
 
The decision was actually quite easy – a braise.  Braising is a cooking technique in which the main ingredient is seared, or browned in fat, and then simmered in liquid on low heat in a covered pot. A big benefit of this cooking method is that the meat tastes great and you also get delicious broth, sauce or gravy. It’s one-pot cooking at it’s finest.  Also at the end of the meal, there isn’t much to cleaning up and anything leftover can be reheated or frozen.
 
 
So, a couple of hours before dinner I got to work and things came together beautifully.  I served this delicious chicken with rice and ladled over the rich sauce flavored with cider vinegar, thyme, and butter.  Along with some fresh fruit, dinner was complete.  What a great way to ward off the cold weather.
Braised Chicken Leg Quarters

If you make this recipe, let me know!

You can rate it below, leave me a comment or snap a picture. Just tag me on Instagram at #asouthernsoul.

Cider Braised Chicken

Flavored with cider vinegar, thyme and butter, this braised chicken dish is great for when the weather starts to cool off.
3.9 from 10 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour 50 minutes
Total Time: 2 hours
Servings: 4
Author: Donya | asouthernsoul.com

Ingredients

  • 4 chicken leg quarters
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 5 - 6 carrots - roughly chopped
  • 1 onion - chopped
  • 5 cloves garlic - sliced
  • 2 tablespoons flour
  • 1 cup cider vinegar
  • 2 teaspoons dried thyme
  • 3 cups chicken stock
  • salt and pepper
  • 3 tablespoons butter

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350°
  • In a large enameled cast-iron pot, heat olive oil.
  • Season chicken thighs with salt and pepper and add to pot, skin side down.
  • Cook over moderately high heat, in batches, turning once, until golden brown, about 12 minutes.
  • Spoon off all but 2 tablespoons of fat in pot.
  • Add carrots, garlic and onion - cook over low heat until tender - 5 minutes.
  • Add flour and stir for 1 minute.
  • Add cider vinegar and stir, scraping up any browned bits from bottom of the pot. Bring sauce to a boil and cook until thickened, 3 minutes.
  • Add broth, thyme and season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil.
  • Nestle the chicken in sauce, skin side up. Transfer pot to oven and braise chicken for about 50 minutes, until cooked through.
  • Remove pot from oven and preheat to broil.
  • Transfer chicken to a baking sheet, skin side up. Broil on middle rack of the oven until skin is golden and crisp, about 5 minutes.
  • Simmer sauce over moderate heat until reduced to about 1/2 - 10 to 15 minutes.
  • Stir in butter and season with salt and pepper.
  • Return the chicken to the casserole, skin side up, and serve.

Cider braised chicken legs & thighs

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Comments

  1. Anonymous

    Oh my gosh – that looks FANTASTIC!!! Must pin this and make it later. This will taste so good in this deep freeze. Thank you 🙂

    Reply

  3. SoulCandySara

    Just made this tonight and really loved it! I after the sauce reduced some, I tossed in instant rice to soak in all of that goodness! Made an amazing meal! Thanks again for sharing 😀

    Reply

  4. Anonymous

    I happened across this recipe on Pinterest and I knew instantly this was going to be dinner tonight! After reading through the recipe, I can almost smell it cooking! Thanks for sharing your recipe!! 🙂

    Reply

  8. Beth

    Hello, made this for tonights dinner. I did add celery and taters and moved to a crockpot instead of oven . Its 95* here didn't want to heat the house up. Being a fellow southerner you understand that.. Followed another commenter and added egg noodles over rice-fiancé prefers egg noodles. Smells amazing and looks so yummy!! Thanks for this post, Looking forward to dunking homemade French bread in the yummy goo!!!!

    Reply

  11. KatieRae

    Just made this wonderful recipe and it was super yummy! I love that I was able to make it from simple Ingredients I already had at home. It has such a rich flavor.

    Reply

    • Donya Mullins

      Thank you Katie! It's always such a joy to hear that a reader made one of my recipes and enjoyed it! I hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving and will stop by again soon!
      xo,
      ~Donya

      Reply

  12. The DiVA

    Hi
    I made this dish today, and it was wonderfully delicious. I did add a little chopped spinach and parsley. I also seasoned the chicken with a Lil tumeric

    Reply

  13. Karen D.

    Just made this tonight with 10 chicken thighs. Fantastic. Will be in our regular rotation. Served with Near East Whole Grain Brown rice pilaf. I also used a whole pound of carrots.

    Reply

  16. Kelliq81

    I literally have this in the oven. Smells divine! I used at least a pound of carrots too. I had six large thighs and 12 chicken legs so I upped the broth up just a bit. Can't wait to try it! Thanks for sharing the recipe.

    Reply

  17. Anonymous

    Just searched Pinterest for chicken legs/thighs recipes and this one practically jumped off the page. I have everything I need on hand and will make tonight for dinner. Will let you know how wonderful it is later. Thanks for the recipe.

    Reply

  20. Jen Hazzard

    Made this recipe last weekend. It was delicious. I served with sautéed green beans with shallots and buttermilk mashed potatoes. Thanks for your post and help.

    Reply

    • Donya

      Thank you so much Jen! I love that you shared your whole menu. Please keep these inspiring comments coming. I love it!
      XO,
      ~Donya

      Reply

  21. Daphne

    I made this recipe today for dinner. I only made half the recipe. This was delicious, I wish I had made more. I served it with sweet potatoes (oven roasted with garlic) and steamed broccilli I will definitely be making this again. Thank you for posting this recipe.

    Reply

    • Donya

      WHAT! Oh my goodness, your menu sounds amazing. Thank you so much for sharing your story and I am just tickled that you like the recipe. Send me a pic next time if you get a chance.
      Love this Daphne!
      XO,
      ~Donya

      Reply

  23. Valerie L.

    Hi Donya, This recipe looks great, but I’m not crazy about chicken legs or thighs, so can I use Boneless Chicken Breasts instead?

    Reply

    • Donya

      Hey Valerie, you can use the chicken breasts. I would use bone in because you’ll have more flavor that way. If you use the boneless, you’ll need to shorten the cooking time.
      Hope his help!
      ~Donya

      Reply

  26. Pauline Gudas

    I have put this recipe on my to do list this week. Do you use bone in chicken thighs or boneless? Planing on making roasted garlic mashed potatoes and roasted delicate squash to go with it

    Reply

    • Donya

      Hey Pauline.
      I use bone-in thighs because I feel it give the dish more flavor. I hope you liked the recipe.
      Have a great day,
      ~Donya

      Reply

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