I have come full circle. When I was a kid, my sister and I fought over the drumsticks. Then at some point, I decided the chicken breasts were the more grown up option and switched my allegiance to the white meat. In recent years I have seen the folly of my silly desire for maturity and realize that as a kid I had it right.
The chicken legs (and the rest of the dark meat contingency) are far tastier than the often dry and relatively flavorless chicken breasts. Now when my husband and I have a whole bird for dinner, the dark meat gets consumed immediately and the breasts get left to be dressed up as chicken salad later in the week.
This recipe is delicious with dark meat (as shown in the picture here) but the braising technique also does a pretty good job of adding moisture and flavor to the less flavorful breasts. You could make it with all drumsticks, a combination of drunsticks and thighs, or a whole bird cut up – though I would recommend cutting each of the breasts into two pieces so that all are about the same size and cook evenly.
The beauty of this dish is its flexibility. I made it this time with carrots and radishes, since that was what came fresh in our CSA share this week, but you could do it with any hearty vegetable. You can also swap out the sage for any other herb you like or omit the garlic if you are following a low-FODMAP diet. Feel free to play with flavors and make this dish your own.
Side note: You can make this in an oven safe dutch oven or braising dish with a lid. I have this Le Creuset round braiser
and love it! I use it at least a couple times a week for both stovetop and oven dishes.
Braised Chicken and Vegetables
- Total Time: 55 mins
- Yield: 4-6 1x
Description
Chicken pieces are moist and flavorful in this flexible oven braised one pot dinner. Use carrots and radishes or any hearty vegetables you have on hand, such as turnips, potatoes, parsnips, or mushrooms.
Ingredients
- One small chicken, cut up (or 6-8 chicken drumsticks or combination of drumsticks and thighs)
- 1 tablespoon grassfed butter, ghee, or coconut oil
- 3 large cloves of garlic
- 1/2 cup of fresh sage, chopped
- 2–3 medium carrots, cleaned and cut into chunks
- 5–6 radishes, cleaned and cut in half if large
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 cup chicken broth
- Salt to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Melt butter, ghee, or oil in oven safe braising dish or dutch oven over medium-high heat.
- Salt chicken pieces and brown, skin side down, until golden (about 8 minutes)
- Remove chicken from pan and set aside.
- Reduce heat to medium-low and add garlic. Cook for just a minute, being careful not to let the garlic burn.
- Add sage, vegetables, and vinegar. Toss to combine.
- Add chicken broth to pan, scraping up any browned pieces with a wooden spoon. Remove from heat.
- Return chicken pieces to the pan.
- Cover and place dish in preheated oven. Cook for 35-45 minutes, or until chicken reaches internal temperature of 165 degrees.
- Serve chicken and vegetables with pan juices.
Notes
You may substitute any herbs you like. Omit garlic to make low-FODMAP.
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 40 mins
- Category: Main
- Cuisine: American
This post was shared on Real Food Forager’s Fat Tuesday, Kelly the Kitchen Kop’s Real Food Wednesday, Holistic Squid’s Party Wave Wednesday, Humble Kitchen’s Simple Lives Thursday, Nourishing Gourmet’s Pennywise Platter Thursday, Food Renegade’s Fight Back Friday.