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    Braised Chicken with Potatoes and Chive Butter Sauce

    September 4, 2024

    This absolutely delicious braised chicken thigh recipe will win you over. It’s full of fresh flavors like garlic, shallots, and lemon that will add zest to your weeknight routine.

    Braised chicken with potatoes and chive butter sauce in a braising dish
    Photography by Gayle McLeod

    Perfect Chicken Thighs + Perfect Potatoes = The Perfect One-Pot Dinner

    Moist, tender chicken thighs, enhanced simply by fresh garlic, shallots and lemon—what could be better than that? We pair perfect lemon braised chicken thighs with buttery, melt-in-your-mouth baby potatoes and a good dose of butter and chives to finish it all off! And the whole beautiful thing comes together in one big pot! That perfect, dreamy, classic dinner? That’s this braised chicken recipe.

    Braised chicken with potatoes and chive butter sauce in a braising dish being served with a wooden spoon

    What is Braised Chicken?

    You’ve surely eaten braised chicken before, but what is braising, exactly? And how is braised chicken different from roast chicken? These are all really great questions! And while you don’t necessarily need to understand these nuances in order to follow this braised chicken thigh recipe, understanding exactly what’s going on in your oven, or your pot, can help you feel a lot more confident in the kitchen. Let’s answer all of your most urgent questions about braising:

    • What is braising? To be technical about it, braising is a "moist-heat cooking method" which just means that braised food is cooked—either on the stove top or in the oven—low and slow, with some liquid added and a lid on. It’s the ideal way to cook a cut of skin-on chicken (like a chicken thigh) because it draws out the chicken fat slowly, and results in a super moist finished product.

    • How is braised chicken different from roast chicken? Remember that braising is a “moist-heat” cooking method. That’s because whatever you’re braising—in this case, chicken thighs—will always be cooked covered with a lid or at least some tightly-wrapped foil. That cover traps liquid as it turns to steam, creating a warm and moist cooking environment. Roasting, on the other hand, is a dry-heat cooking method. The heat is high, but when you roast something, you don’t cover it so the surface area of the food—veggies, or chicken or even a whole turkey—is exposed to the dry heat of the inside of your oven as it cooks. Both methods have a time and a place, but braising is our favorite way to cook chicken thighs because they just turn out so moist, tender and intensely flavorful.

    • Do I need a special pot for braising? Sort of! You need a pot with a lid that fits. A Dutch oven is ideal. In a pinch, you could just cover an oven-safe pot with a tightly fitted piece of tin foil, though, if you don’t have a lidded pot.

    potatoes, skin on chicken thighs, olive oil, lemon slices, shallots, butter, spices and chives in prep bowls on the counter

    A Few Classic Ingredients Yield A Truly Classic Chicken and Potatoes Dinner

    This braised chicken recipe is all about the wonderful, rich flavor of chicken—it’s really a celebration of just how great chicken can truly be when cooked with a bit of care. We don’t want any ingredients that hide or take away from the chicken itself—its crisp skin and tender, moist meat—so we’re keeping it as classic as can be. All you’ll need to make this braised chicken recipe are:

    • Chicken thighs (if you’re looking for a great chicken breast recipe, check out our Lemon Butter Chicken)

    • Baby Yukon Gold potatoes

    • All the fresh alliums: garlic, chives, shallots

    • Lemons

    • Chicken stock

    • Butter

    bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs seasoned with salt being browned in a skillet with olive oil
    sliced baby Yukon Gold potatoes boiled, in a pot
    shallots and garlic being cooked in a skillet
    chicken stock being poured into a skillet with cooked shallots and garlic

    How To Make Braised Chicken

    Warming, cozy and a bit elegant, this simple braise is basically a one-pot meal. Pair it with a simple green salad, and dinner is served.

    1. Boil the potatoes until they’re almost fork-tender—start checking them after about ten minutes. This is a job you could do ahead of time, because they’ll get cooked again in the pot with the chicken thighs.

    2. Brown! Braised chicken thighs start on the stovetop. Brown the seasoned chicken thighs in a little oil, so the skin gets brown and crisp. You can do this in the same pot you’ll use to braise the whole dish, FYI, but you might need to work in batches.

    3. Simmer! Tuck the chicken thighs, potatoes, garlic, shallots and lemon into the pot, pour stock over it all and get the liquid simmering.

    4. Time to braise! Lid on, and into the oven! Braise for about 40 minutes, or until your meat thermometer says the thighs are done—look for a reading of 165°F. If you are a chicken skin lover, double the chicken stock and leave the lid off. This will help the skin stay crispy while cooking.

    5. Finish by adding a little butter and fresh chives to the pan to create a pan sauce from all of those gorgeous golden juices.

    lemon slices added to a pan with braised chicken, roasted potatoes, shallots, garlic, chicken and stock.
    Roasted potatoes and shallots in a braising dish with with a lemon and chive butter sauce

    What To Serve With Oven Braised Chicken Thighs

    We think that a simple side of fluffy White Rice or Perfect Couscous is the perfect accompaniment to the best braised chicken thighs. Check out salad recipes in our roundup of the 30 Best Salad Recipes, if you’re looking for a nice fresh salad to pair with this meal. Slice up some Sourdough Bread to soak up all of the delicious braising liquids and chive butter sauce.

    Close up of Roasted potatoes and shallots in a braising dish with with a lemon and chive butter sauce
    Braised chicken with potatoes and chive butter sauce in a braising dish with shallots and lemon

    Tools You’ll Need

    4 Easy Chicken Thigh Recipes To Try

    A serving of braised chicken with potatoes and chive butter sauce on top of rice in a bowl with a fork

    A Chicken Recipe To Share, To Love, To Pass Down

    This easy braised chicken thigh recipe is the kind of thing that we just know we’ll be making for decades. It’s comforting, simple, and it just hits the spot. Make it twice, and you’ll have it memorized. If you make it, let us know how you like it. Share a photo and tag us on Instagram using @themodernproper and #themodernproper so that we can see your stuff! Happy eating!

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    Braised Chicken with Potatoes and Chive Butter Sauce Recipe

    Updated September 4, 2024

    • Serves:  6
    • Prep Time:  15 min
    • Cook Time:  50 min
    • Calories:  399
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    Ingredients

    • 1 pound baby Yukon gold potatoes
    • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
    • 8 bone-in, skin-on, chicken thighs, fat trimmed (about 3 pounds)
    • 2 teaspoons kosher salt, plus more to taste
    • 2 large shallots, cut into ½-inch slices
    • 6 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
    • ⅔ cup chicken stock
    • 1 lemon, sliced
    • 1 ½ teaspoons lemon juice, from 1 lemon
    • 4 tablespoons salted butter, cold
    • Freshly cracked black pepper, for serving
    • 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh chives, for serving
    • Cooked rice, for serving (optional)
    • Couscous, for serving (optional)

    Method

    1. Preheat the oven to 400°F with a rack in the center position.

    2. Bring a pot of water to a boil over high heat and salt it. Add the potatoes and cook for 5 minutes, or until just fork tender, then drain. Once cool enough to handle, cut the potatoes in half.

    3. Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large ovenproof skillet or braiser over medium-high heat. Season the chicken all over with the salt.

    4. Working in batches, add the chicken, skin side down, to the braiser and cook until the skin is browned, about 4-5 minutes. Flip the chicken and cook until browned, about 3 minutes more. Transfer the chicken to a plate. Add as many potatoes as will fit to the skillet, cut sides down, and cook until lightly browned, 1-2 minutes. Transfer the potatoes to the plate with the chicken. Repeat until all the potatoes are browned.

    5. Add the shallots to the skillet and cook, stirring, until lightly browned, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute more. Add the chicken stock and bring to a simmer. Add the chicken to the broth, skin sides up. Nestle in the potatoes and top the chicken with the lemon slices.

    6. Transfer to the oven and cook until the internal temperature of the chicken reaches 165°F on an instant-read thermometer and the potatoes are tender, about 35 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a plate.

    7. Stir in the lemon juice and butter until melted, then taste and season with salt. Return the chicken to the sauce and garnish with pepper and chives.

    8. Serve family style over cooked rice or couscous.

    Nutrition Info

    • Per Serving
    • Amount
    • Calories 399
    • Protein 23 g
    • Carbohydrates 10 g
    • Total Fat 31 g
    • Dietary Fiber 1 g
    • Cholesterol 132 mg
    • Sodium 299 mg
    • Total Sugars 1 g

    Braised Chicken with Potatoes and Chive Butter Sauce

    Questions & Reviews

    Join the discussion below.

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    • Caroline

      Would the lemon that you put on top of the chicken make the skin soggy or too lemony? I usually am ok with a light lemon taste but not a strong one.

      You can omit the lemon slices if you are worried about it.

    • E

      Where do the 4 tbls of butter come in?

      See Step 7. Hope you enjoy!

    • Anne

      Could I do this with boneless skinless chicken thighs if I adjusted down the cooking time? My fam doesn’t like eating thighs on the bone. Thx!

      That should work fine. It definitely won't need to bake as long. So maybe boil your potatoes 1 extra minute to make sure those are cooked through when the chicken is done. Hope you enjoy Anne!

    • john

      can i half the recipe

      WE haven't tested it halved to make sure the sauce would turn out correctly.

    • Sandi

      what about using chicken breasts instead of thighs?

      Should be fine, it will just change the cook time.

    • Emily

      Delicious. I use a lot more shallots and lemons because I love them, and use boneless skinless thighs for ease. This is a great, hearty meal.

      Thanks Emily, we are so glad you love it!

    • Jessica

      We made this tonight and it was delicious and so simple! The lemon added some brightness to the dish while still feeling like a cozy meal. We had some crusty bread to soak up all that delicious sauce and used boneless, skinless thighs instead. Definitely a keeper!

      Thanks Jessica, we are so glad you loved it!

    • Raquel

      I've made this on several occasions and everyone raves about it. It is simply delicious!! My family loves and my grand-daughter especially requested I make this for her birthday!! It is truly so so DELICIOUS!!

      Thanks Raquel, we are so happy you loved it!

    • Mark

      I added cappers and it was delicious.

      Thanks Mark, we are so glad you loved it!

    • Eric

      The sauce on this is seriously delicious. I didn't have chives, so left those out. We froze portions and reheated for a few meals. It was every bit as good reheated, though I found myself craving more of the sauce. This will be a regular and will make for guests as well.

      Thanks Eric, we are so happy that you loved it!