Zesty Braised Chicken with Lemon and Capers

In August, I ended up with a new cookbook. It came in the mail, and I had every intention of returning it. Then one thing after another put the cookbook in the bottom of a mail box, and it was too late. I think perhaps it was fate. You know, the subconscious kind of "fate" that makes you "forget." That's my story, and I'm sticking to it.

The cookbook is Food & Wine Annual Cookbook, 2008. It contains the entire year of recipes from Food & Wine magazine, and is also the "Special 30th Anniversary Edition." I can't see any difference between this one and previous years (which were not the "special 30th anniversary editions") but whatever. I have not been able to put this cookbook down. There are some amazing recipes in here, along with gorgeous photography.

I plan to make this one day very soon. It contains simple ingredients (that don't require a trip to town) and it looks fantastic. I can't wait to show you a picture of this, it is beautiful!

**Update: which kind of grocery store doesn't have lemons today? The teeny-tiny, only-one-in-town kind at which I am forced to shop. This will have to wait until next weekend. =(

***Update II: So. "Next weekend" turned into four months later. At least I remembered! And, this chicken was worth every day of waiting! It was savory and delicious, with a hint of lemon in a complex, scrumptious sauce. Fairly easy to accomplish. We served it with wild rice.


Zesty Braised Chicken with Lemon and Capers

Active: 25 minutes; Total: 1 hour 30 minutes
4 servings
Wine: Lively, tart Sauvignon Blanc (we finished off the lovely bottle I opened to make the sauce)

8 bone-in chicken thighs with skin (6 ounces each)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
All-purpose flour, for dusting
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
4 large garlic cloves, peeled
1 1/2 cups Sauvignon Blanc
1 1/2 cups chicken stock, preferably homemade
Four 1-inch strips of lemon zest
4 thyme sprigs (I used 1 or 2 heaping teaspoons dried thyme leaves)
1 tablespoon capers, drained
1 bay leaf

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Season the chicken with salt and pepper and dust with flour. In a large ovenproof skillet, melt the butter in the oil. Add the chicken skin side down and cook over high heat, turning once, until browned, 12 to 14 minutes. Transfer to a large plate and pour of all but 1 tablespoon of the fat.

2. Add the garlic to the skillet and cook over low heat until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the wine and boil over high heat until reduced by half, about 5 minutes. Add the chicken stock, lemon zest, thyme sprigs, capers and bay leaf and bring to a boil. Return the chicken to the pan, skin side up. Transfer the skillet to the oven and braise for about 45 minutes, until the meat is tender.

3. Return the skillet to the stove and boil until the sauce is slightly reduced, about 5 minutes. Discard the thyme, bay leaf and lemon zest, if desired, before serving.
--Grace Parisi