For me, a simple recipe for braised chicken thighs with tomatoes and olives is utterly replete with love—infused with care, comfort, and coziness, with juiciness and sauciness, and it never fails to pique my appetite and to playfully entice me.
Braised Chicken Thighs, a Recipe for the Romantic in Us All
There are certain types of dishes that I prepare, certain types of recipes, that really excite me without fail.
They're always dishes that are rustic, often with a rich sauce simmered with a generous array of aromatic and wonderfully earthy ingredients such as onions, garlic, herbs, olive oil, tomatoes, wine, olives...my list, indeed, could go on and on—these dishes always sound good.
A meal like this reminds me of a “farmers meal”, something one would joyfully, eagerly, hungrily tuck into after a long days work outdoors, using fresh chicken from one's own henhouse, along with fresh ingredients cultivated from one's own garden.
And perhaps the olives used would be from a neighbor who has an olive tree, one who brines and prepares their own olives to keep on the shelf or to share with a neighbor. 😉
Have I ever mentioned that I have a rich imagination?
Actually, these braised chicken thighs remind of something my own great grandparents might have prepared—they were European farmers.
They had free-running chickens of their own that they raised, along with a vibrant garden they tended to and toiled in over many years that yielded big, beautiful love-infused produce that was always used so liberally in the meals that they created and enjoyed.
An uncomplicated meal like this truly gets my imagination flowing, whets my appetite, and brings out the romantic in me...
And I must confess, this is something that I deeply appreciate about food, and about the art of cooking.
Simple Steps for the Perfect Braised Chicken Thighs
Braising is one of my favorite methods of cooking. There's something that I love about it, and perhaps the answer lies in the rhythm of those initial simple steps that a good braise requires. After that, all that a braise needs is to be left alone for a while to work its magic.
- It is essential to have a proper braising pan, one that is heavy and that conducts heat well. A cast-iron skillet or heavy-bottom enameled pan is best to use, as one can brown and sear a protein such a chicken quite beautifully in such a pan, which is the first step in this braised chicken thigh recipe.
- Oil is added to the pan, and allowed to become almost “smoking hot” before the chicken is added in, skin-side down, and allowed to crisp and become golden for a few minutes, then flipped over and allowed to sear on the bone-side.
- Once golden on both sides, the chicken is removed and set aside so that the other ingredients—those aromatics such as onions and garlic—can have their time in the pan, followed by adding in any spices.
- Then the liquids such as wine, stock, tomatoes (in this case) are added to form that wonderful, flavorful braising liquid.
- Once the olives are added, I return the seared chicken back to the pan; then the whole thing is brought to a gentle simmer, and placed into the oven to finish, gently cooking to succulent perfection.
What arrives out of the oven roughly forty five minutes later is savory, rich bliss, or love in food form.
Tips & Tidbits for Braised Chicken Thighs with Tomatoes and Olives
- Give your thighs a pat down: Keep the chicken thighs as dry as possible so that when you place them into your hot pan, they will become nice and browned, and crisp.
- Use a cast-iron or other heavy-bottom pan: This is a job for your cast-iron pan, or other heavy-bottom, oven-safe pan—it will become nice and hot, and sear the skin on the thighs.
- Leave out the wine: There's a small amount of white wine in the recipe, but feel free to leave it out—you can substitute a bit more chicken stock, instead.
- Serve with your favorite side: I love to serve this dish with pappardelle pasta; but rice, gnocchi, or even potatoes are wonderful options as well—even just some rustic bread on the side makes for a perfect companion to this dish!
Feast your eyes on these, or just jump to the recipe:
Recipe
Braised Chicken Thighs
by Ingrid Beer
Print Recipe
Yield: Serves 6
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 50 minutes
Ingredients:
• 6 chicken thighs, skin on and bone-in
• Olive oil (about 6 tablespoons, divided use)
• Salt
• Black pepper
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon granulated onion
• 2 onions, quartered and sliced
• 6 cloves garlic, pressed through garlic press
• 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 1/2 cup white wine (optional)
• 1/2 cup chicken stock
• 1 (28 ounce / 794 gram) can whole, peeled tomatoes, chopped and juiced reserved
• 1/2 cup pitted Kalamata or green olives, or combo of both
• 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves, or flat-leaf parsley
• Pappardelle, rice, gnocchi, potatoes, or bread to serve as accompaniment
Preparation:
-Preheat your oven to 350°.
-Add your chicken thighs to a plate or bowl, and pat them dry with paper towel; drizzle over about 1 tablespoon of olive oil, plus a couple of pinches or salt and pepper, the paprika, and the granulated onion.
-Place your cast-iron pan or heavy-bottom skillet over medium-high heat, and drizzle in about 2 tablespoons of olive oil; once the pan is very hot, add the thighs in, skin-side down, and allow them to sear for about 6-7 minutes on that first side, until deep, golden-brown; flip, and sear for another 4-5 minutes; remove from skillet, and set aside for a moment.
-To that same skillet add the sliced onions, and allow them to saute and become golden-brown; next, stir in the garlic and the Italian seasoning, and once aromatic, add in the tomato paste and cook for about 30 seconds to cook out the raw flavor.
-Add in the wine (if using) and allow it reduce completely; next, add in chicken stock, along with the chopped tomatoes with juice, and the olives, and stir to combine; nestle the thighs back into the sauce, skin side up, and place into the oven to braise for 45 minutes (uncovered) until the chicken is cooked through and the skin is extra crispy and a deep brown.
-Finish with a sprinkle of fresh thyme leaves or parsley, and serve with an accompaniment to soak up the sauce.
Interested in some other braised recipes? Check out these Braised Short Ribs on Garlic Crostini, Polenta with Braised Oxtail Ragu
My hubby and I really enjoyed this dish. We also soaked up the extra sauce with slices of rustic wbole garlic clove bread. Really flavorful and a nice complement to the chicken thighs. Will definitely make this again!
Sue, thanks so much for coming by to let me know how the recipe turned out for you! So glad you found some comfort & pleasure in it, and I must say, that garlic clove bread must’ve been delicious with the sauce! The
This recipe was delicious! I used fresh tomatoes and herbs from our garden. The basic process was really what I was looking for. Cooked up beautifully! Thanks for sharing this wonderful recipe. It will be my go to recipe for braised chicken thighs. 😻
Joyce, the fresh tomatoes and herbs from your own garden sound absolutely scrumptious—I'm sure they infused the dish with lots of wonderful flavor and aroma, and I can only imagine how tasty the end result was! Thanks so much for sharing your experience with me, and I'm thrilled this recipe will be your go-to for braised chicken!
HI, When you serve this over pappardelle, do you use the sauce from the braised thighs or are you suing another tomato sauce. The sauce looks more red over the pasta than in the pot so I was wondering about that. thank you, this sounds amazing.
Hi Raine, yes, I used the sauce from the braise. There's lots in the pan! 😉
It only looks a little redder because of the lighting, and plus when it's spooned over top of yellow pasta, it casts a more red/orange hue.
Hope you enjoy!
Hi! do you think I can use red wine instead?
Hi Aliza, absolutely—use what you have on hand! Please enjoy.
Fantastic recipe!!! You have made me a chicken "HERO" at home. Thank You!
Loren, yay! So excited to read that!
I'm so glad you and your loved ones enjoyed this recipe, and I hope you're able to peruse and find many more that'll make you a "hero"! 🙂
Made this last night for my family...it was so delish! I tweaked it slightly by using Adobo instead of Italian seasoning, just because I didn't have any...but did add in Oregano and Parsley. I used the wine. Next time I will use more chicken though if I am feeding a family of 4. I served it with rice and sauteed spinach mixed with sun dried tomatoes and fresh parmesan. Overall success! Thank you!
Hi Allyson, so very happy to read that you all enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for sharing.
So glad you had many of the ingredients, and used such great creativity with the substitutions—perfect!
Hope you find many more recipes to try out and enjoy, so that you and your family can find some comfort and nourishment in them.
I don't have whole tomatoes and can't get to the store. Would diced tomatoes work at all? Tomato sauce?
Hi Teri, please feel free to use any kind of tomatoes that you have in a pinch!
If you have the diced, then I'd go with those over the tomato sauce.
Hope you enjoy!
I was looking for a recipe to use for a new Dutch oven and stumbled across this. It looked very forgiving of tweaks (I only had 4 thighs so had to mess with the quantities) So I made it for dinner tonight. It was delectable, and so easy! This recipe is a keeper. So good I had to post a thank you!
So thrilled to read that, Cathy! I very much appreciate your comment/review of the recipe. Thank you!
I have made this many times since being at home more this year, it is a favorite for sure. I typically make it when I have fresh tomatoes to use up and they work perfectly. This is a dish I would serve to company as soon as it's safe to do that again 🙂 Thanks for the wonderful recipe!
Jane, thank you so much for taking some time to share your experience with me. I'm thrilled this recipe has been comforting and nourishing for you, and using fresh tomatoes is a terrific way to go when you have them available.
May the recipe continue to bring you pleasure, and I hope that sooner rather than later you will be able to prepare and share this with the people in your life you're longing to reconnect to, once again, across the dinner table.
Happy cooking, Jane!