Tomato-Braised Chicken with Capers

Braised chicken is a great choice for an easy weeknight meal, and using bone-in, skin-on chicken helps keep the meat from drying out and yields the best flavor. If you’re using salt-packed capers, be sure to rinse and drain them before adding them to the dish. Serve the chicken with softly cooked polenta or a good loaf of bread for soaking up the flavorful braising liquid.

 

Tomato-Braised Chicken with Capers

 

Ingredients

 

• 1 chicken, about 3 1/2 lb. (1.75 kg), cut into 8 serving pieces
• Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
• 2 Tbs. olive oil
• 1 yellow onion, thinly sliced
• 3 Tbs. capers, drained
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 Tbs. fresh thyme leaves
• 1/2 cup (4 fl. oz./125 ml) white wine
• 1 can (28 oz./875 g) diced tomatoes
• 1 cup (8 fl. oz./250 ml) chicken stock

 

Directions

 

1. Pat the chicken pieces dry and season all over with salt and pepper.

 

2. In an essential pan or large sauté pan over medium-high heat, warm the olive oil. Working in batches if necessary, add the chicken pieces to the pan and sear, turning once, until browned on both sides, about 4 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate.

 

3. Reduce the heat to medium and add the onion and capers to the same pan. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion softens, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and thyme and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute more. Add the wine and deglaze the pan, stirring with a wooden spoon to scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Return the chicken to the pan and add the tomatoes and chicken stock. Bring to simmer, reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer gently until the chicken is tender and cooked through, about 30 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and serve immediately. Serves 2 to 4.

 

Williams Sonoma Test Kitchen