This warm bubbly braise is comfort in a bowl.
When I think of a cozy winter braise, my mind tends to surface an all day affair, a huge hunk of meat that needs hours to soften into submission as it simmers away in the oven, crockpot, or on the stovetop. While the time spent on a braise like this certainly pays off, I often find myself craving the comfort and warmth of a bubbly braise on a cold winter weeknight, where I have minutes (not hours) to get dinner on the table.
That’s when I turn to one of a handful of quicker braises in my repertoire, with one recipe that has risen above the rest to become a clear favorite over the years: One-Pot Braised Chicken With Coconut Milk, Tomato, and Ginger on NYT Cooking. I love that it’s made in just one pan in about 30 to 45 minutes, is super saucy, warm and rich, and is made with many of the ingredients I tend to always have on hand.
How To Make One-Pot Braised Chicken With Coconut Milk, Tomato, and Ginger
Find the full recipe on NYT Cooking or follow along here: Start by patting bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs dry and season generously with salt and pepper. I like to use a deep 12-inch skillet for this recipe. Add canola oil over medium-high heat, and once hot, carefully place chicken thighs in, skin-side down. Here’s the important part: Leave them alone. Do not disturb the chicken thighs, otherwise you won’t get that golden brown skin. After flipping and cooking, remove chicken thighs to a plate.
Turn the heat down to medium-low and add the thinly sliced red onion. Once softened, minced garlic and fresh ginger go in. I like to skip the mincing and finely grate garlic and ginger instead. Then, add the spices: ground cumin, ground cinnamon, red pepper flakes, and a pinch of salt.
The spices will start to smell really fragrant, so after about one minute, add a can of whole cherry or diced tomatoes and full-fat coconut milk. Use a spatula to scrape up any stuck on bits from the bottom of the skillet, then nestle the browned chicken thighs, skin side up, in the braising liquid. Let braise, uncovered, for about 20 minutes or until the sauce has thickened slightly and the chicken is cooked through. In my experience, this can take up to 40 minutes, depending on the size and temperature of the chicken and your pan.
That’s it: You’re done! Serve the chicken with plenty of the sauce over steamed rice or with crusty bread. Finish with fresh cilantro and a spritz of lime, if desired.
My Favorite Tweaks for This Recipe
I love how saucy and rich this recipe is just the way it’s written, but in the years that I’ve been making it, I’ve made a three tweaks that I put to use nearly every time I come back to this recipe:
- Swap the ginger, garlic, and spices for one tablespoon of Thai red curry paste. Using red curry paste does change the flavor of the dish, but it saves me a little bit of prep time and makes the entire recipe that much more of a pull-it-from-the-pantry staple.
- Use boneless skin-on thighs for an even quicker cook. These take less time to cook through but still offer all that crispy skin.
- Add a vegetable to the braising liquid. I like frozen peas, fresh greens, or small florets of broccoli or cauliflower. I find that 20 minutes is just about the right time for the vegetables to cook. This rounds out the dish without much more effort, especially if using frozen peas or prepped greens like spinach, chard, or kale.
There have also been a few occasions when I made this dish vegetarian by swapping the chicken thighs for a can of drained chickpeas or thick slices (about one to 1 1/2 inches) of firm tofu, another simple twist that I can recommend.
Get Recipe with Title: One-Pot Braised Chicken With Coconut Milk, Tomato, and Ginger
Read the original article on Simply Recipes
