This morning I woke to the sound of freezing rain pelting against the glass skylight above our bed, and was reminded that we are still deep in the thralls of winter. Dreams of garden-fresh tomatoes be damned. But, we do have plenty of delicious produce around this time of year, too, even though it might not be as shiny and glamorous as the juicy tomato. Instead, I present to you the humble carrot. A bit dirty, sometimes lumpy, and with stray stringy roots going this way and that. But it’s so crisp, SO sweet, and is packed with nutrients and flavor that help us eke our way through the cold months, body and soul intact. And because I love a simple, filling meal this time of year, I combined it with my other winter comfort food, chicken. Yes, that’s two chicken recipes in two weeks. That should tell you something about the storms we’ve been having!
But this isn’t your grandma’s braised chicken (unless she loves adding Greek yogurt to hers, in which case give her a hug from me). It starts with a nice marinade made with garlic, thyme and green onion. You can let the chicken sit in the marinade overnight, or for a minimum of 2 hours if you forgot the night before. After that, you sear the chicken in some butter (yum!), and then you take the chicken out and cook up the veggies, carrots included. Then you make a little well in the middle and add some oil and spices, like paprika and curry powder, and tomato paste for a bit of savory goodness. And then in goes the white wine to deglaze the pan and get all the delicious browned bits dissolved into the sauce. Then more broth and the chicken itself go back in for a nice braise over low heat. Once it’s done, you ladle out some broth and mix in the greek yogurt and then mix it back in the pot with everything to add a nice creamy flavor to the dish. And there’s nothing else quite like that hint of tang from the yogurt.
Honestly, it’s heaven! And while I originally intended to make this begin on the stovetop and then braise in the oven, we had no electricity the day I was developing this recipe (thank you, ice storm), so I made the whole thing on the stovetop using a match to light the gas on the range (the oven part of our range is electric). But if you wanted to braise it in the oven with a heat-safe lid on, you definitely could. Just do it at 375 degrees Fahrenheit until the thigh joint reaches at least 165 degrees Fahrenheit. If you want it to be very tender, you could cook it longer (low and slow, babyyyy). Regardless, the flavor is wonderful and deeply comforting! I recommend having something handy to soak up all the delicious juices, like crusty bread or rice or farro (the latter being my personal favorite. It’s so chewy! Jeremy hates it, but I’m obsessed.)
Enjoy dear reader, and I’ll be back again soon with another recipe in tow 🙂
5 from 5 votes
Creamy Braised Chicken with Carrots and White Wine
CourseDinner
CuisineAmerican
Servings 6 people
Ingredients
White Pepper Marinade
- 1teaspoonwhite pepper
- 1teaspoonkosher salt
- 2teaspoonsfresh thyme leaves
- 2green onionschopped
- 2clovesminced garlic
- 5poundschickenbone in skin on, broken into individual pieces (breasts, thighs, etc)
Creamy Braised Chicken with Carrots and White Wine
- 2yellow onionsthinly sliced
- 2sticks celerycut into ½-inch thick slices
- 3/4poundcarrotssliced diagonally into 1-inch chunks
- 3clovesgarlicminced
- 3teaspoonkosher salt
- 1tablespoonolive oil
- 1tablespoontomato paste
- 2teaspoonspaprika
- 1teaspooncurry powder
- 1/4teaspoonblack pepper
- 2tablespoonsflour
- 2cupswhite wine
- 1cupvegetable stock
- 1bay leaf
- 5sprigs fresh thyme
- 1tablespoontomato paste
- 2/3cupplain Greek yogurtfull fat
- 4cupscooked brown or white ricefor serving
- ¼cupfresh parsley leavesfor serving
Instructions
White Pepper Marinade
In a small bowl, mix together the white pepper, salt, and thyme leaves. Add in the green onions and minced garlic and mix to combine. Rub the chicken pieces all over with the mixture, then place them in a bowl or airtight container, cover, and refrigerate overnight or for at least 2 hours.
Creamy Braised Chicken with Carrots and White Wine
Heat 4 tablespoons of butter in a large Dutch oven over medium high heat. Brown the chicken until golden, about 4 minutes on each side. Remove the chicken and set it aside.
Add the onions to the same pan you browned the chicken in and saute until the onions are golden around the edges, about 8 minutes or so, stirring every 3 or 4 minutes. Add the celery, carrots, garlic, and 1 teaspoon salt and stir to combine. Saute 4 more minutes, then make a little empty space in the middle of the pan and add 1 tablespoon olive oil, the tomato paste on top of the oil, and the paprika, curry powder, and black pepper in the empty space, too. Toast the paste + spices for 1 minute, then sprinkle the contents of the pan with the flour and stir to combine.
Add the white wine 1/2-cup at a time, stirring after each addition to help dissolve any browned bits on the bottom of the pan and create a juicy sauce. Add the vegetable stock, bay leaf, thyme sprigs, 2 teaspoons of salt, and allow to cook uncovered for 5 minutes. Then nestle the chicken pieces into the pan, cover, and cook over low heat for 80 minutes, flipping the chicken once halfway through.
After it’s done cooking, place the greek yogurt in a small-sized mixing bowl. Ladle in ½ cup of the pan juices while whisking constantly. Add another ½ cup of the pan juices to the yogurt bowl, whisking until smooth. Add the yogurt mixture back into the pan with the chicken and give a gentle nudge and stir of the ingredients to incorporate the yogurt. Remove from heat, add any extra salt or pepper to taste, garnish with the fresh parsley, and serve with cooked rice.
