I swear that I haven’t been slacking on trying out new recipes or cooking in general, only posting. I’ve been so darn busy that I cook and take pics, but simply don’t have the time to get it all online.

This recipe is another from Food and Wine magazine. As is typical, I’ve made some changes to be healthier in both ingredients and preparation, as well as adding some green (in the form of beans).

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 3 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs, fat trimmed
  • Salt and freshly ground pepper
  • 5 carrots, sliced 1/2 inch thick
  • handful of green beans, cut to 1-inch lengths
  • 5 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
  • 1 leek, white and light green parts only, thinly sliced
  • 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup cider vinegar
  • 3 cups chicken broth
  • 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
  • 2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley
  • 2 tablespoons snipped chives

Directions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350. In a large enameled cast-iron casserole, heat the olive oil. Season the chicken thighs with salt and pepper and add them to the casserole. Cook over moderately high heat, in batches if necessary, turning once, until golden brown, about 12 minutes.
  2. Transfer the chicken to a platter.
  1. Add the carrots, garlic, green beans and leek and cook over low heat until crisp-tender, 5 minutes.
  2. Add the flour and stir for 1 minute.
  3. Add the vinegar and stir, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Bring the sauce to a boil and cook until thickened, 3 minutes. Add the broth, season with salt and pepper and bring to a boil. Nestle the chicken in the sauce. Transfer the casserole to the oven and braise the chicken for about 50 minutes, until cooked through.
  4. Simmer the sauce over moderate heat until reduced to about 4 cups, 10 minutes. Stir in the butter until melted. Add the parsley and chives and season the sauce with salt and pepper.

I opted to serve this over brown rice, but it would also be nice over egg noodles or quinoa or another starch. The finished sauce has a sweet and tangy flavor. If you’re not so big on tang, then cut the vinegar in half.

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