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Braised Chicken Thighs with Caraway and Dill


  • Author: Kelly Djalali, adapted from Cook's Illustrated

Ingredients

Scale

8 Bone-in Chicken Thighs, trimmed

2.5 tsp. Kosher Salt

1/2 tsp. Black Pepper

1 tbsp. Vegetable or Grapeseed Oil

1 Shallot, diced

2 Garlic Cloves, minced

2 tsp. Caraway Seeds

1.5 cups Chicken Broth

2/3 cup Dry White Wine

2 tsp. Water

1.5 tsp. Cornstarch

1/3 cup Sour Cream or Crème Fraîche

2 tsp. Minced Fresh Dill, plus more for garnish

12 tsp. Lemon Zest, for garnish


Instructions

Adjust an oven rack to the lower-middle position and preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Pat the bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs very dry with paper towels and season both sides with kosher salt and black pepper. 

Over medium heat, heat 1 tablespoon of vegetable or grapeseed oil in a 12-inch, oven-safe skillet or braiser until the oil is shimmery. 

Add the chicken thighs to the braiser, skin side down, and cook without moving the chicken until it’s well-browned. About 8-10 minutes. The chicken will tell you it’s ready to flip when it releases easily from the pan. If you try to flip it with your kitchen tongs and it resists, let it brown a little longer. 

When the chicken thighs release easily, flip them and brown the other side for about 3-5 minutes. Then, cut the heat and transfer the chicken thighs, skin side up, to a plate. 

Pour off all but about 3 tablespoons of the fat in the pan. Turn the heat up to medium. Add the diced shallot and minced garlic. Stir and cook for about 1 minute, until the garlic begins to turn golden. Add the caraway seeds to the pan and stir constantly for about 1 minute. Then add the chicken broth and the white wine. 

Bring to a simmer and scrape up any of the fond from the bottom of the pan. Then Add the chicken thighs, skin side up, back to the pan. The chicken skin should be above the braising liquid. Transfer the pan, uncovered, to the oven and roast for 20-30 minutes, until the internal temp of the chicken reaches 180-190 degrees F. 

Transfer the chicken thighs to a serving plate and tent with foil. 

Place skillet with braising liquid over high heat. Bring the braising liquid to a boil and stir occasionally until the sauce is reduced to about 1 ¼ cups. About 10 minutes. 

Meanwhile, whisk together cornstarch and water in a small bowl. Whisk the cornstarch slurry into the braising sauce. Once the sauce has thickened slightly, cut the heat. 

Off heat, stir in the ⅓ cup sour cream and the 2-3 teaspoons of fresh chopped dill. 

Spoon the sauce around the chicken thighs and top the dish with lemon zest and more fresh dill.