Crispy Braised Chicken Thighs With Cabbage and Bacon Recipe (2024)

Why It Works

  • Braising the chicken with the skin exposed keeps it crispy while tenderizing the meat underneath.
  • Vinegar and sugar give the dish a built-in sweet and sour sauce that pairs perfectly with the cabbage and the bacon.
  • The whole dish is built in a single sauté pan, making for minimal cleanup.

People complain when movies are too formulaic, when they rely on rehashed plot points, or when the relationships between characters become too familiar. Take Star Wars, for instance. That part when Rey and Finn are, like...okay, I won't be the guy who posts spoilers here, because some of you still haven't seen it. But suffice it to say, there are plot parallels between the new film and the original trilogy. LOTS of parallels. This doesn't bug me in the slightest. To me, it's the movie equivalent of a fallback technique. What do I mean by that? Well, it's a lot like cooking.

Some people have fallback recipes. The ones that they pull out again and again when they can't think of something new to make. I've got a couple of those, but I also have fallback techniques—basic blueprints for constructing a dish that can be infinitely variable depending on the specific ingredients you use. The main elements are instantly recognizable, but they're placed in a novel and thrilling context that gives them new life. Dishes like that are simultaneously exciting and comforting.

Exhibit A: crispy braised chicken legs or thighs. The technique is one I've used countless times, like in this crispy braised chicken with white beans and chile verde, or this easy skillet braised chicken with peppers and paprika, or several recipes in my book, The Food Lab. But by changing the ingredients in the braising liquid, and the accompanying vegetables, you've got yourself a brand-new dish.

Wait, crispy and braised, you say? Isn't that kind of an oxymoron? Well, yes. To be perfectly pedantic, the chicken thighs are not braised, because they're cooked uncovered. However, the bulk of the meat is resting below simmering liquid while cooking, so the finished texture you achieve is the same as if it had been truly braised. The difference is that we get to keep our crispy skin.

I've been cooking a ton of cabbage in my kitchen recently, so it only made sense to come up with a cabbage-based version. Here's how to do it:

I start by searing chicken legs or thighs in a straight-sided sauté pan. I preheat a little oil until it's shimmering-hot, then put in the chicken (which I've seasoned with salt and pepper) skin side down, nestling it to get good contact between skin and pan.

Once that's done, don't touch it, and I mean it! Don't try to lift that chicken until it's good and ready to be lifted. At first, the chicken skin will stick to stainless steel. This may give you a little scare, and your reaction may be to try to pry it or scrape it up off the metal. Resist this urge. As the chicken continues to cook and brown, eventually it will be crisp enough that it'll release almost all on its own, with just a little tug from your tongs to get it to lift cleanly. Remember: Your goal is to really brown the chicken skin. Not "pale-yellow" it or "off-white" it. Brown it.

After it's browned on both sides, I transfer it to a plate and set it aside while I build the remaining ingredients.

To the empty pan, I now add some slab bacon that I've cut into chunky lardons. Strips of bacon cut into pieces would work fine, but I prefer the meaty texture of real lardons. I let them brown, using the liquid they exude to scrape up browned bits of chicken skin from the pan, then add onions. Once the onions have softened, in goes the shredded cabbage. I like to let the cabbage brown a little bit at this stage to give it a nice, nutty sweetness.

Fresh cabbage and pork are made to pair with bright sweet-and-sour flavors (think: sauerkraut), so I dollop in a good amount of whole grain mustard before deglazing the pan with apple cider vinegar and chicken stock seasoned with a little sugar. Finally, I add a couple of bay leaves and some whole thyme sprigs.

Crispy Braised Chicken Thighs With Cabbage and Bacon Recipe (1)

I nestle the seared chicken back down in the liquid (making sure to tip any juices that have collected on the plate back into the pan—that's flavor you don't want to lose). At this stage, with a typical braised recipe, you'd cover up the pan and let the chicken simmer either on the stovetop or in the oven, letting the juices evaporate and drip back down over the top. With foods that don't have the protection of skin, like, say, chunks of beef or a lamb shank, this step is necessary to ensure that the portion sticking up above the level of the liquid doesn't dry out. Chicken legs and thighs, on the other hand, have a natural barrier in the skin, which prevents the meat from drying out even if it isn't completely submerged in liquid or cooked under a cover.

We use this to our advantage here. By transferring the pan directly to the oven, uncovered, with the chicken skin exposed, we get chicken with fall-apart-tender braised texture in the meat under a shell of crispy, flavorful skin, giving us the best of both worlds.

This takes about 45 minutes to accomplish, during which time your bacon lardons should also become meltingly tender and your liquid should reduce to form an intense sweet and sour sauce around the cabbage. (If you want to make it all pretty-like, you should discard the cooked thyme sprigs and replace them with either chopped thyme leaves or whole thyme sprigs—they'll still give off plenty of aroma as you serve the dish, which is their primary function.)

Crispy Braised Chicken Thighs With Cabbage and Bacon Recipe (2)

There now, doesn't that look brand-new and exciting (even though it's totally not at all)? It's sort of like that scene in Star Wars where Han and Chewie reveal the secret romance they've been hiding from Leia all th...oh crap, now I've given it all away. You will forget that last sentence. These aren't the spoilers you are looking for.

January 2016

After additional testing, this recipe was updated to address comments regarding greasiness and the amount of chicken stock. In Step 2, we call for draining off all but 1/4 cup of rendered fat and adding 1 cup of chicken stock.

Recipe Details

Crispy Braised Chicken Thighs With Cabbage and Bacon Recipe

Cook75 mins

Active30 mins

Total75 mins

Ingredients

  • 2 1/2 pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (6 to 8 thighs; 1.15kg)

  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

  • 1 tablespoon (15ml) vegetable oil

  • 8 ounces (225g) slab bacon or salt pork, cut into 1/2- by 1/4-inch lardons

  • 1 medium onion, thinly sliced (about 6 ounces; 170g)

  • 1 pound finely shredded cabbage (about 1 medium head; 450g)

  • 2 tablespoons (30ml) whole-grain mustard

  • 1/2 cup (120ml) apple cider vinegar

  • 1 cup (235ml)homemadeor store-bought low-sodium chicken stock

  • 3 tablespoons sugar

  • 2 bay leaves

  • 6 sprigs thyme

  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter

Directions

  1. Adjust oven rack to center position and preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). Season chicken generously with salt and pepper. Heat oil in a 4- to 5-quart straight-sided sauté pan over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add chicken, skin side down, and cook without moving it until well-browned and crisp, about 8 minutes total, lowering heat if it starts to smoke excessively. Flip chicken and brown lightly on second side, about 3 minutes. Transfer chicken to a large plate and set aside.

    Crispy Braised Chicken Thighs With Cabbage and Bacon Recipe (3)

  2. Add bacon to pan and cook, stirring, until lightly browned, about 3 minutes. Drain off all but 1/4 cup (60ml) rendered fat. Add onion and cook, stirring, until softened and starting to brown, about 4 minutes. Add cabbage and cook, stirring, until softened and starting to brown, about 4 minutes. Add mustard and vinegar and cook, stirring and scraping up browned bits from bottom of pan. Add chicken stock, sugar, bay leaves, and thyme sprigs, and bring to a simmer.

    Crispy Braised Chicken Thighs With Cabbage and Bacon Recipe (4)

  3. Nestle chicken back into sauté pan, leaving the skin above the liquid but submerging most of the meat. Transfer pan to oven and cook uncovered, until chicken is totally tender and liquid has reduced by about half, about 45 minutes.

    Crispy Braised Chicken Thighs With Cabbage and Bacon Recipe (5)

  4. Remove from oven and transfer chicken to a serving platter. Stir butter into sauté pan and season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve immediately, spooning cabbage and sauce into shallow bowls and topping with chicken.

Special Equipment

Straight-sided sauté pan

  • Chicken Mains
  • Chicken Thighs
  • Bacon
  • Cabbage
Crispy Braised Chicken Thighs With Cabbage and Bacon Recipe (2024)

FAQs

How do you crisp chicken skin after braising? ›

Heat oil in oven-safe 12-inch skillet or sauté pan over medium-high heat. Place the chicken, skin-side down, in the skillet and cook until skin is crisped and well browned, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer chicken to plate, skin side up. Pour off all but 1 tablespoon fat from skillet.

Why are my chicken thighs not crispy? ›

Use a paper towel to ensure there is no moisture left on the chicken skin. This is an important step to getting crispy crispy skin. 🔪 Start in a COLD pan. Chicken fat tends to sit below the skin so when we add it to a cold pan, we allow it time to melt alway while ensuring a perfect golden brown skin.

Why is my braised chicken tough? ›

Don't Crank the Heat

Stick with 350 degrees; we found that at 400 degrees, the chicken meat cooks through too rapidly, before any significant breakdown of connective tissue can take place, and the result is tough, stringy meat that no amount of braising liquid can fix.

How to make chicken thighs taste better? ›

12 Ways To Add More Flavor To Chicken Thighs
  1. Buy thighs with the skin on. ...
  2. Salt or brine thighs before cooking. ...
  3. Use a splash of spirits in your marinade. ...
  4. Use leftover pickle juice for an easy marinade. ...
  5. Give the thighs a poke before marinating. ...
  6. Cook them low and slow. ...
  7. Use dairy as a marinade. ...
  8. Don't shy away from sweetness.
Jan 29, 2023

What ingredient makes chicken skin crispy? ›

That trick is a sprinkling of baking powder, and it'll get you the crispiest, crackliest bites of fatty, salty skin imaginable, whether you're cooking just one thigh, a plate of wings, or an entire bird.

What are the 4 steps in braising technique? ›

Using an enamel cast iron dish which heats evenly and retains temperature well will also help your braising technique.
  1. STEP 1: Sear your meat. Season the meat on all sides. ...
  2. Step 2: Saute the mirepoix. Mirepoix; chopped onions, celery, carrots. ...
  3. Step 3: Deglaze the pot. ...
  4. Step 4: Braise.
Oct 5, 2020

Is flour or cornstarch better for crispy chicken? ›

While every fried chicken joint or gas station will tell you that they have a secret formula to their batter, we don't like to keep secrets. Cornstarch will make your fried chicken better.

Does cornstarch make chicken skin crispy? ›

When paired with all-purpose flour, cornstarch helps prevent gluten development, which makes the flour coating crispier, and absorb moisture (from the frying and the chicken), which also means a crispier coating. If you already have a favorite fried chicken recipe, try replacing a quarter of the flour with cornstarch.

How do you make chicken skin super crispy? ›

Oven instructions

Place the chicken skin in a single layer, skin-side down, on top of stainless steel wire rack on a foil-lined rimmed baking sheet. Pop the tray in the oven and bake for 10 minutes. Then, flip the chicken skins skin-side up and bake for 10 more minutes or until golden and crispy.

What is the best temperature to braise chicken thighs? ›

The best compromise was the 325-degree oven, which produced chicken nearly as moist and tender as the 200-degree oven but in just half the time. As chicken thighs simmer in liquid, two things happen: At 105 degrees, muscle fibers begin to contract and expel moisture.

Do you cover chicken when braising? ›

Time to braise!

Lid on, and into the oven! Braise for about 40 minutes, or until your meat thermometer says the thighs are done—look for a reading of 165°F. If you are a chicken skin lover, double the chicken stock and leave the lid off. This will help the skin stay crispy while cooking.

What is the best temperature to braise chicken? ›

Set aside on a plate until needed. Toss your veg into the pot, add the chicken back and pour over half a bottle of wine (or equivalent liquid), cover and place in a 325ºF for 45 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 165ºF. Once you master this technique, you'll be making chicken like this once a week.

Is it better to cook chicken thighs fast or slow? ›

If you get impatient and heat up your chicken thighs by cranking the temperature all the way up, your chicken will be too dry, which is the last thing you want. Instead, you want to keep your chicken thighs slowly cooking on a low temperature, thus allowing the meat to marinate in its juices and gradually tenderize.

What tenderizes chicken thighs? ›

Restaurants use marinades made from a combination of acidic ingredients (such as vinegar, citrus juice, or yogurt) and flavorful herbs and spices. The acid in the marinade helps to break down the proteins in the chicken, making it more tender.

Can you crisp chicken skin after cooking? ›

As there is a fair amount of fat in the chicken skin you can cook the skins in a large frying pan over a medium-low heat, without any additional fat, until the fat has rendered out and the skins are crispy.

How do I get crispy skin on my rotisserie chicken? ›

To achieve maximum crispness, the skin has to start dry and stay dry – if water is present, it will create steam, which inhibits crisping. For the ultimate crispy skin, start your prep the day before. After quickly rinsing your bird, be sure to thoroughly dry it inside and out with paper toweling.

How do you keep chicken skin crispy after roasting? ›

Here are some tips to help you achieve that deliciously crispy skin:
  1. Pat the Chicken Dry: Before roasting, make sure to thoroughly pat the chicken dry with paper towels. ...
  2. Use High Heat: Start roasting the chicken at a high temperature, around 425°F (220°C), for the first 20-30 minutes.
Feb 2, 2023

How do you fix soggy chicken skin? ›

If you're using your broiler, place chicken skins bottom-side down onto a foil-lined baking sheet and place it in the oven for two to four minutes until the skin has crisped up. You can serve the fried chicken skins on their own or you can serve them on a sandwich for a bit extra flavor and texture.

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