braised chicken with capers and parsley.

I found the perfect Sunday evening dinner recipe.  Actually, my mom (thanks mom!) found the perfect chicken recipe and she served it to me when I was at home and I fell in love.  It has only a handful of pantry staple ingredients and requires a minimal amount of work to make.  The chicken that emerges after cooking is moist and tender (falling off the bone!) and is encased in a sauce that is so perfectly acidic and salty that I found myself licking my plate and using pieces of bread to sop up every last bit.  After spending an entire week thinking about this chicken I decided I needed to make it for myself and see if it lived up to my memories.  Oh did it!  (It really was love at first bite.)  This dish will now be in heavy rotation as it lends itself to fall evenings and cozy meals for two (or a crowd!).  Did I mention how easy it was?  I managed to catch up on my overflowing stacks of Martha Stewart magazines while it simmered on the stove and filled our apartment with the most delicious smell.  

Braised Chicken with Capers and Parsley

Recipe is perfect and comes from Bon Appetit

                                                                                                            

4 tablespoons olive oil, divided

1 large onion, minced (1 ½ cups)

4 chicken legs, drumsticks, and thighs, (or any combination of these pieces as long as it’s about 2 pounds)

Kosher salt

½ cup minced flat-leaf parsley, plus more for garnish

1/3 cup salted capers

2 cups low-salt chicken broth (or homemade!)

1/3 cup white wine vinegar

Freshly ground black pepper

Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large heavy skillet over medium heat.  Add onion, cook, stirring often, until softened, about 8 minutes.  Transfer oven to a bowl, wipe skillet clean. 

Add 2 tablespoons oil to skillet and increase heat to medium-high.  Season chicken with salt.  Add chicken to skillet and cook, turning once, until golden brown on both sides, 10-12 minutes.  Transfer chicken to plate. 

Add reserved onion, ½ cup parsley, and capers to skillet.  Cook for 1 minute.  Stir in broth and vinegar.  Add chicken with any juices.  Reduce heat to medium-low; cover and simmer until meat is tender and falling off the bone, about 1 ¼ hours. 

Transfer chicken to a large platter.  If you still have a lot of liquid in the pan, increase to high and stir to reduce sauce down a little, about 5 minutes.  Taste sauce, and add more salt or pepper if necessary (I found it needed pepper and not salt).   Spoon sauce over chicken; garnish with parsley.