Braised Chicken with Dried Plums

from Everyday Food

First you brown 8 chicken thighs. I forgot to take a picture of the thighs browning. Oil was splattering and I had to have Dh do the flipping to avoid getting disfiguring burns. Here are the thighs sort of browned, removed to a platter:

(Raw meat. Yummy!)

Then you brown onions in the remaining oil and chicken fat, scraping up the bits. The onions get nice and soft. Add in a bit of flour and two cups of grape juice:

Then you put the chicken back in the pot. I was excited to use my locking silicone-tipped tongs for the first time:



Here is something I've realized about Everyday Food in relation to myself: I have to cook food 2-3 times longer than listed in EF. Pretty much every time I'm cooking meat. I suspect this is because my pans all suck and therefore do not conduct heat well. Someday I will have an All-Clad 12-inch and a La Crueset Dutch oven, but until then I will have to fiddle with cooking times. The recipe said cook 8-10 minutes. I had to cook these babies 30 minutes (granted, I did a piss-poor browning job, which extended the braise time).

It doesn't look that great, does it? But, oh yum!

Here is my bowl. My favorite part of this dish was definitely the sauce. Serve this dish with a crusty French bread to sop up the sauce. I could have just eaten the sauce with bread and been fine.


This dish is economical and easy. Two thumbs up!

Braised Chicken with Dried Plums
Serves 4

2 T olive oil
8 bone-in, skinless chicken thighs (I used a 3-lb. bag from Winco)
coarse salt & ground pepper
1 medium onion, chopped
1 T flour
2 C dry white wine, such as Sauvignon Blanc
1 C pitted dried plums (aka prunes)

1. In a 5-qt Dutch oven, heat oil over medium-high. Season chicken with salt & pepper. Cook in 2 batches until browned, 6-8 minutes, flipping once. Transfer to a plate.

2. To pot, add onion and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring, until onion begins to brown, 3-5 minutes. Reduce heat if necessary. Add flour, cook, stirring, 1 minute. Add wine and chicken along with any accumulated juices.

3. Cover and cook until chicken is opaque throughout, 8-10 minutes (or thirty if your pan sucks too!). Stir in prunes.