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Braised Chicken Thighs

When I'm preparing this dish, it's all I can do to wait until it's finished simmering to get a taste of the awesome gravy. You've simply gotta cook some rice to eat with this, no doubt about it.

Recipe courtesy of Emeril Lagasse, "Emeril 20-40-60 Fresh Food Fast," HarperStudio Publishers, New York, 2009, courtesy Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, Inc.
  • Prep Time 5 minutes
  • Total Time 1 hour 10 minutes
  • Yield Serves 4 to 6
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Ingredients

  • 6 chicken thighs (about 2 pounds), trimmed of any excess skin or fat
  • 1 tablespoon Emeril's Original Essence or Creole Seasoning
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons olive oil
  • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 2 cups thinly sliced yellow onions
  • 1 tablespoon minced garlic
  • 6 sprigs fresh thyme, tied in a bundle, or 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 3 cups chicken stock or canned, low-sodium chicken broth
  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
  • Steamed white rice, for serving

Directions

  1. Season the chicken all over with the Essence and 1/2 teaspoon of the salt. Place the 1/2 cup flour in a small bowl, and quickly dredge both sides of each thigh in the flour, shaking to remove any excess. Set aside.
  2. Heat 1 teaspoon of the olive oil in a 10- to 12-inch flameproof casserole or saute pan over medium-high heat. Add 2 tablespoons of the butter, and when it has melted, place the chicken, skin side down, in the pan. Brown for 2 minutes on each side. Remove the chicken from the pan and set aside.
  3. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon butter to the pan, and when it has melted, add the onions, garlic, thyme bundle or rosemary sprigs, remaining 1/2 teaspoon then whisk in the chicken stock and increase the heat to high. Return the chicken, skin side down, to the pan, and bring the stock to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover the pan with a heavy, tight-fitting lid, and simmer for 15 minutes.

Recipe Reviews

  • Maryandtulip
    26 Oct, 2011

    This is a delicious recipe. I do simmer it for one hour, which helps to blend the flavors. It's a great weeknight dinner!

  • SuzePrich
    24 Oct, 2011

    I would never make this again. Even though I used Old Bay instead of Emeril Essence, I am sure it wouldn't be all that better. The sauce is greasy (even though I poured off all but a couple TBSP of the fat, which the recipe doesn't even call for it, and I skimmed some!) and BROWN. It makes the rice very unappetizing looking. The parsley doesn't help! The taste is generic and unimaginative. Love Emeril, but this isn't his best.

  • AlexisMahrus
    24 Jun, 2011

    I'm in the process of making this recipe, but I just realized : it's incomplete! Found the rest of it on another website very easily.

  • jujulovesbaking
    12 Jan, 2011

    This is a great meal and I enjoyed it very much, but the recipe here is missing a whole bunch of stuff. I realized this only when I was making the thighs for dinner yesterday, but luckily I was able to find the full recipe here at Emeril's website: http://www.emerils.com/recipe/7949/Braised-Chicken-Thighs
    The meal requires at least 40 more minutes than the receipe suggests.

  • kaylarae
    31 Aug, 2010

    yummm! Easy and delicious! I used double the amount of chicken thighs and there was plenty of sauce for all of it. I love this recipe!

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