Polish Chicken
A depression era recipe from the Midwest churning out the tastiest braised chicken I've tasted.
This braised chicken recipe may be my favorite chicken recipe I’ve tasted. It’s juicy as it braises in chicken stock and reducing the chicken stock to a syrup to then glaze over the roast chicken. Set it in the oven for 40 minutes and voila! It’s a peasant dish from Polish-Americans to make some cheap into something delicious. This is one you’re going to want to print.
The steps are the easy, but first we need the ingredients.
Polish Chicken Ingredients!
- Chicken pieces. Three pounds.
- Hungarian Paprika. Not smoked
- Oil.
- Fresh thyme.
- Garlic cloves.
- Butter.
- Chicken stock. The good stuff.
The steps are a simple and are universal for all braising. If you’ve never braised before, then this is your lucky day!
Grab a large mixing and bowl to toss your chicken pieces, oil, and paprika together. Season your chicken up all over with salt and pepper. The chicken should be fully coated. Now sear the legs in a oven-safe skillet over medium-high heat until they’re browned on all sides. Pour in the broth along with the garlic and fresh thyme. Roast in the oven for 40 minutes, or until tender and the broth has formed a sauce. Just add butter and vinegar to emulsify into a perfect sauce to drizzle over each piece.
If you don’t want to emulsify the sauce you don’t have to. The sauce it’s been cooked in is as good as it comes. I love to serve these over mashed potatoes with braised red cabbage, so the saucier the better.
Pull those chicken legs out of the freezer or pick up some chicken thighs when you see them on sale, and think of this recipe. It ends up making a great weeknight dinner and awesome leftovers. Enjoy!
Polish Chicken
Allergens: Milk
Diet: Gluten-Free
Ingredients
- 3 lbs. Chicken pieces
- Kosher salt and ground black pepper, to taste
- 1 teaspoon Hungarian paprika
- Avocado oil, for drizzling
- 6 garlic cloves, finely minced
- 3 sprigs fresh thyme
- 2 cups good chicken stock
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 3 tablespoons water
- A splash of vinegar
Preparation
- Preheat the oven to 400°F.
- Toss the chicken in a cast-iron pan with a big drizzle of oil, salt, pepper, and paprika.
- Turn the heat to medium-high heat and sear the chicken. Turn them over to brown both sides.
- Pour the chicken stock, garlic, and fresh thyme to the pan and bring to a boil.
- Transfer the pan to the oven to bake for 40 minutes.
- Pull the pan from the oven back to the stovetop to reduce the sauce. Remove the chicken if they’re fork-tender, or continue cooking while you reduce.
- Add the butter, water, and vinegar to the pan to finish your sauce.
- Taste for seasoning or adjust consistency with more water.
Recipe adapted from Chefs Binge