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Tender chicken with potatoes, artichoke hearts, tomatoes, and olives, braised in a flavorful herb infused sauce. My One Pot Braised Chicken Thighs is a delicious, comforting meal that’s a perfect dinner for cold winter nights.
One Pot Braised Chicken Thighs With Potatoes And Artichoke Hearts – Winning The Pantry Challenge
Have you ever watched one of those cooking show contests where somebody pulls a bunch of random items from the pantry and challenges somebody else to make a meal from it? Hopefully a delicious one?
A lot of cooking show challenges seem pretty contrived to me. I mean, are any of us ever going to be required to bake a showstopping wedding cake in three hours? Doubtful.
But the pantry challenge makes sense to me. Because haven’t we all been there?
Picture this.
You’ve had a crazy busy day. So busy that you haven’t had any time to plan dinner, or go to the grocery store. But ready or not, dinnertime is approaching. You start pulling stuff out of the fridge, pantry, and freezer, wracking your brain for a way to turn it into something edible. And hopefully delicious.
It’s a scenario that’s played many times in my life. Sometimes the results of my pantry challenges turn out pretty well. Other times? Not so much.
A few weeks ago, I found myself in that same position. With the dinner hour approaching and no time to go to the grocery store, I opened the pantry, saw a can of artichoke hearts, and took it from there.
The end result of my experiment was a one pot Braised Chicken Thighs with Potatoes and Artichoke Hearts. It wasn’t just edible, it was good. Really good. As in, my husband has asked me to make it three times in the last month good.
In short, I won the pantry challenge.
One Pot Braised Chicken Thighs With Potatoes And Artichoke Hearts – Grown Up Comfort Food
Braising is when meat is partially cooked at high heat in fat, then steamed in a relatively small amount of liquid in a covered container.
This cooking method that’s often used for red meats, it’s also wonderful for chicken thighs. The end result is juicy, flavorful, and melt-in-your-mouth tender.
Something else that makes this recipe for my one pot Braised Chicken Thighs so wonderful is the amount and variety of veggies and aromatics that cook along with the chicken.
In addition to the potatoes and artichoke hearts, I’ve included savory onion and garlic, fresh tomatoes to add a little acid and body, and Kalamata olives for a surprisingly salty bite now and then.
All those luscious goodies are braised in a wonderful, light chicken and white wine broth. It’s flavored with fresh herbs and finished with lemon juice and zest. Though this is technically a one-dish dinner, you’ll want to serve it with some crusty bread to soak up every mouthful of that fabulous broth.
Braised chicken thighs with potatoes and artichoke hearts is one of those dishes I’d be happy to eat year-round. However, it’s especially good on chilly winter days, when you want something hot, hearty, and absolutely delicious.
If you’re on the lookout for grown-up comfort food, you’ve found it.
Though the ingredient list is a little long, the recipe is pretty easy and comes together in under an hour.
Making Braised Chicken Thighs With Potatoes And Artichoke Hearts – In One Pot!
This dish cooks on the stovetop and in the oven. You’ll need a Dutch oven or a heavy, large flame and oven-proof lidded casserole to make it. I used my 5-quart Le Creuset oval Dutch oven, which I love and have had for years.
You’ll start by seasoning the chicken thighs and then searing them in hot olive oil on both sides. Getting a nice, golden brown on both sides of the chicken thigh is important. You’ll have to work in batches, doing about half the chicken at one time.
Once the chicken is seared, you’ll pull it out of the pot and set it aside. Then you’ll add a little more oil and cook the onion and garlic until the onion is golden brown and caramelized. Don’t rush this part! Taking the time to get a deep color adds a lot of richness to the dish.
After the onions are cooked, you’ll pour the wine into the pot, then scrape up any browned bits on the bottom. In addition to adding extra flavor to the broth, it makes it easier to clean the pot later.
Next, you’ll put the chicken back in the pot along with th artichoke hearts, tomatoes, chicken broth, half of the thyme, and the potatoes.
I really love using tiny, bite-sized potatoes or fingerlings for this dish. Having the whole potato with the skin on it is a tasty touch. But you can sub regular potatoes, cut into bite-sized pieces if you need to.
With most of the ingredients in the pot, you’ll turn up the heat on the burner and bring the liquid to a boil. Then you’ll pop the pot into a preheated oven.
This next part isn’t required, but I like to thicken the sauce just a little bit. So, after 20 minutes in the oven, I pulled it out and created a slurry of flour and about half a cup of the hot broth. Then I added to slurry back into the pot, stirred it, and let it cook for another 10 minutes.
As I said, thickening is optional, but you’ll still have to pull out the pot to add the olives and fresh parsley after 20 minutes. Then you’ll return the pot to the oven for 10 more minutes.
When the timer goes off, your kitchen will smell amazing and the dish will smell good enough to eat! But don’t dig in just let!
Some fresh lemon juice and zest, plus the remaining thyme are the finishing touches on this fabulous dish.
Once they’re in, taste and adjust the seasonings. Then ladle a generous helping of the chicken, potatoes, artichokes, and broth into bowls and enjoy!
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One Pot Braised Chicken Thighs with Potatoes and Artichoke Hearts
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
Ingredients
- 2.5 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs, trimmed of visible fat (about 8–10 thighs)
- 2.5 T olive oil, divided
- 1 medium onion, peeled and medium diced
- 2 large garlic cloves, peeled and sliced thin
- ½ cup white wine (can sub chicken broth)
- 12 oz whole bite-sized potato (can sub regular potatoes, cut into bite-sized pieces)
- 1 14oz can artichoke hearts, drained and sliced into halves
- 2 medium tomatoes, seeded and chopped
- 4 tsp fresh thyme, divided
- 1.5 cups low sodium chicken broth
- 20 kalamata olives, sliced into halves
- ¼ cup chopped parsley
- 2 lemons, zested and juiced
- 2 T flour (optional)
- Kosher salt
- Pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Sprinkle chicken thighs lightly with salt and pepper
- Place 2 T olive oil in ovenproof lidded casserole or Dutch oven, on the stove over medium high heat. Place half the chicken in the hot oil, searing about 3 minutes on each side, until beginning to brown slightly. Remove seared chicken to a platter. Repeat with the remaining pieces.
- Add remaining ½ T of oil to the casserole, along with onion and garlic. Sprinkle with lightly with salt and pepper. Lower heat to medium. Cook, stirring frequently, until onions are soft and translucent, 4 to 5 minutes. Pour the half cup of wine into the pot. Scrape bottom with a wooden spoon or spatula, to loosen any browned bits.
- Add seared chicken thighs, potatoes, artichoke hearts, tomatoes, half the fresh thyme, and the chicken broth to the pot. Increase the heat and bring the liquid to a boil.
- Place the casserole in the preheated oven and cooked, covered, for 20 minutes.
- Pull the casserole from the oven. Place the flour in a small bowl and whisk into about ½ cup of the hot broth, making a thick smooth slurry. (Flour is optional and only necessary if you want a slightly thicker sauce. Omit for a gluten free version.) Add the slurry to the pot, along with the parsley and olives. Return pot to the oven and cook, covered, for an additional 10 minutes.
- Remove pot from stove. Stir in juice and zest of the lemons and the remaining thyme. Taste to adjust seasonings and serve.
