Pan braised chicken is super simple and super delicious. Add some vegetables, and it becomes an easy summer meal! This dish is great on its own, with a salad for a side. But it also works great over pasta or polenta because it produces its own pan sauce!
Pan braising is a great method to consider for summer cooking. It offers all the advantages of regular braising – caramelized meats, melded flavors, juicy sauces. But it saves you from having to heat the whole house with the big oven. This dish took place in one pan on the stove. A single heat source keeps the temperature down in the house, but the flavor up in the meal!
The pan braised chicken happens in two quick stages. First, bring together your vegetables and get them cooking and the flavors melding. Then set them aside and use the very same pan to thoroughly brown your chicken. Once the chicken is browned, add the vegetables back to the pan and let them all finish cooking together.
I’ve made this recipe with tomatoes. Mostly because tomatoes in summer are just about perfect. But feel free to use any vegetable that you want. Other good summer choices would be zucchini, peppers, or eggplant. You could also add mushrooms or even toss some Tuscan kale in when the dish finishes. Really a versatile addition to the summer kitchen!
Pan Braised Chicken and Tomatoes.
Ingredients
- 1 pint grape tomatoes whole
- 1 TBS red onion finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic finely chopped
- 1 tsp fresh rosemary finely chopped
- 1 tsp fresh oregano chopped
- 4 tablespoons olive oil divided
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt & fresh ground black pepper to taste
- 1 pound skinless boneless chicken thighs
- 1 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoons roughly chopped parsley leaves
Instructions
- Place tomatoes, onion, garlic, ½ tsp rosemary & ½ tsp oregano, salt & pepper & 2 TBS olive oil in a large bowl.
- Toss to combine.
- Heat 1 Tbsp. oil in a medium skillet (with a lid) until oil shimmers.
- Add tomato mixture to pan and let cook uncovered for 2 – 3 minutes, until tomatoes start to soften.
- Cover, reduce heat and let cook an additional 2 -3 minutes until tomatoes begin releasing some of their liquids
- While tomatoes are cooking, add chicken thighs, remaining herbs, oil, red wine vinegar & salt and pepper to taste to the bowl the tomatoes were in. Toss to evenly coat the chicken with spices & liquids.
- Remove the lid from the tomatoes, and pour the tomato mixture into a clean bowl.
- Return the pan to the stove top and when it begins to sizzle, place the chicken, flat side down, in the pan. Let it cook that way, untouched for 3 minutes.
- Turn the chicken over and cook for an additional 3 minutes.
- Remove the chicken from the pan (leave the liquid) and set on a cutting board
- Return the tomato mixture to the pan
- Cut the chicken into 1” chunks. It may not be cooked through all the way yet — that’s OK*.
- Return the chicken to the pan with the tomato mixture and bring to a simmer.
- Cover and cook for 3 minutes, until chicken is cooked through
- Transfer chicken and tomato mixture to a serving dish and garnish with parsley.