Braised Chicken Thighs Recipe
Braised Chicken Thighs with crispy skin and fall-apart meat, baked in a savory, brothy sauce with loads of veggies, will make you swoon! It’s gorgeous, tastes amazing, and is simple enough to whip up quickly on a weeknight. Elegant and easy! 🙌
This one-dish meal is hearty and flavorful, not to mention super filling. It feeds my whole family, and I usually have enough leftovers for a lunch or two. This chicken tastes equally delicious (if not better) on the second day.
Another thing I love is how healthy it is! With plenty of protein and herby veggies, you can feel good about making this for your family. You probably won’t feel bad about adding a carby side. 😆
How Do You Braise Chicken Thighs?
Good question. Braising is a cooking technique that is pretty simple but results in delicious meat! In this case, we braise chicken thighs by first searing them in hot oil in an oven-safe pan on the stovetop.
Then, we add chicken broth, white wine, and plenty of herbs and veggies to the pan and put the whole shebang in the oven where the chicken can finish cooking in the juicy broth. The result is extraordinarily flavorful chicken that packs oven-crisped skin with fall-off-the-bone meat. 🤤
Recipe Ingredients
- Chicken – Use bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs for the most flavor and juiciness. But if all you have on hand is boneless, skinless chicken thighs, feel free to use those.
- Seasonings – White pepper, garlic and onion powder, thyme, and parsley to garnish add depth of flavor to the already magical ingredients.
- Vegetables – Onions, garlic, tomatoes, carrots, and celery are a tried-and-true combo that adds spectacular flavor, aroma, and texture to this dish.
- Liquids – For the savory sauce, pour in white wine, chicken broth, and bullion powder. These three items infuse even more flavor into the chicken and make a beautiful sauce for drizzling over rice, pasta, or potatoes.
How to Braise Chicken Thighs
Prepare Chicken Thighs
- Preheat oven to 350℉ (180℃).
- Seasonings – Mix onion powder, garlic powder, salt, pepper, and paprika in a small bowl. (Photo 1)
- Prep Chicken – Pat your chicken thighs dry with a paper towel and then season thoroughly with the spice mix. (Photo 2)
- Sear – In a large cast iron or Dutch oven, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Next, brown the seasoned chicken thighs in the hot oil, turning them brown on all sides. Remove the chicken and set aside. (Photos 3 & 4)
Prepare the Broth
- Saute – Add the butter (or olive oil) to the pan. Once the butter melts, add your onions. Then, add the onions, garlic, and thyme to the pan and cook for about 2-3 minutes until fragrant. (Photo 5)
- Tomatoes – Next, add your diced tomatoes and bouillon powder. Cook for about 5-6 minutes. (Photos 6 & 7)
- Liquids – Gradually pour in your white wine and chicken broth. Stir, bring to a boil, and add your carrots and celery. Let simmer for about a minute. (Photos 8 & 9)
- Taste Test – Do a quick taste test and adjust the seasoning to taste.
Braise the Chicken Thighs
- Assemble – Next, return the browned chicken thighs to the pan, cover them with a lid, and place them in the oven.
- Braise for 40 minutes or until the thighs are tender and your meat thermometer reads 165ºF (75ºC) for the internal temperature. You can remove the lid in the last five minutes and broil the chicken to give it a nice brown color. (Photo 10)
- Serve – Take it out of the oven and let it rest for a few minutes. Then garnish with parsley and serve with your favorite veggies, mashed potatoes, or rice.
Recipe Variations
- Customize the veggies. Add extra vegetables to the broth if you’d like. Green beans, asparagus, and corn on the cob all work well here. 👌
- Creamy sauce. Add heavy cream close to the end of the braising process for a decadent cream sauce.
- Mushroom sauce. Replacing the carrots and celery with sliced mushrooms and fresh thyme proves how versatile braising chicken can be. It tastes divine over garlic mashed potatoes! 🤩
Tips and Tricks
- Try to buy chicken thighs that are pretty uniform in size so they cook evenly.
- If you love lots of brothy sauce, make sure the broth comes about halfway up the chicken thighs when you add the chicken back to the pan. Add a little more chicken stock if needed. Just keep the skin out of the saucy goodness so it can crisp up.
- A meat thermometer ensures your chicken cooks completely. You want it to reach an internal temperature of 165°F.
Make-Ahead Instructions
You can save time with this braised chicken thighs recipe in a few ways.
- Prepare the vegetables and broth the day before and marinate the chicken in the seasonings overnight. Then, just pop it all in the oven for dinner the next day.
- You can also do the chopping ahead. Cut the vegetables into chunks, store them in a plastic bag, and refrigerate for a few days until ready.
- You can even cook, cool, freeze, thaw, and reheat this meal up to three months later.
Serving and Storage Instructions
Serve braised chicken thighs straight out of the oven with your favorite sides. Remember to drizzle that brothy sauce over the whole plate. Yum! 😋
Refrigerate leftover braised chicken thighs in an airtight container for up to three days. You can also freeze braised chicken thighs for up to three months. Let it cool completely, then store it in a freezer-safe container or resealable plastic bag.
When reheating braised chicken thighs, do so gently to prevent them from drying out. Reheat in a covered dish in the oven on low or in a skillet with some water or broth.
What Goes With Braised Chicken Thighs
My two top faves are jasmine rice and garlic mashed potatoes because they benefit from the fantastic broth. You could just do some extra veggies if you are avoiding carbs, though. Parmesan-crusted asparagus is an excellent choice.
For dessert, indulge in some cozy peach cobbler. 😍
More Charming Chicken Recipes to Try
- Chicken Stroganoff
- Tuscan Chicken
- Grilled Chicken Tenders
- Chicken Marsala
- Slow Cooker Chicken Thighs
Watch How to Make It
This blog post was originally published in October 2013 and has been updated with additional tips, new photos, and a video.
Braised Chicken Thighs
Ingredients
- 6 bone-in and skin on chicken thighs (about 2½ pounds)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon white pepper
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- 4 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon thyme, minced
- 1 cup tomatoes, diced
- 1 teaspoon bouillon powder
- ½ cup white wine
- 1¾ cups chicken broth
- 3 medium carrots, cut into 1-inch pieces (about 1 cup)
- 3 stalks celery, cut into ½-inch pieces (about 1 cup)
- parsley to garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350℉ (180℃).
- In a small bowl, mix the onion powder, garlic powder, salt, pepper, and paprika.
- Pat your chicken thighs dry with a paper towel and then season thoroughly with the spice mix.
- Heat the oil over medium-high heat in a large cast iron or Dutch oven. Brown the chicken thighs in the hot oil, turning to brown on all sides. Remove and set aside.
- Add the butter to the pan. Once the butter melts, add your onions, garlic, and thyme and saute for 2-3 minutes or until fragrant.
- Next, add the diced tomatoes and bouillon powder. Cook for 5-6 minutes.
- Gradually pour in your white wine, followed by the chicken broth. Stir and bring to a boil, then add in your carrots and celery.
- Cook for about a minute; adjust seasonings to taste.
- Next, return the browned chicken thighs to the pan, cover them with a lid, and place them in the oven.
- Let it braise in the oven for 40 minutes or until the chicken is tender and the internal temperature reaches 165ºF (75ºC). You can remove the lid in the last five minutes and broil the chicken for a nice brown color.
- Take it out of the oven and let it cool. Then garnish with parsley.
- Serve with your favorite veggies, mashed potatoes, or rice.
Tips & Notes:
- Try to buy chicken thighs that are pretty uniform in size so they cook evenly.
- If you love lots of brothy sauce, make sure the broth comes about halfway up the chicken thighs when you add the chicken back to the pan. Add a little more chicken stock if needed. Just keep the skin out of the saucy goodness so it can crisp up.
- A meat thermometer ensures your chicken cooks completely. You want it to reach an internal temperature of 165°F.
- Please remember that the nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary significantly based on the products used in the recipe.
This was really good. I modified a bit with bl/sl thighs bc that’s what I had on hand, and just did a stovetop braise bc I didn’t need crispy skin. I was worried it would be bland bc most of the seasoning was just on the chicken, but it absolutely was delicious.
Hi Adrienne! So glad you enjoyed it! Using boneless, skinless thighs and stovetop braising sounds like a great adaptation—happy it turned out so flavorful!
This recipe is incredible. The thighs came out flavorful and tender. Thanks:)
Quick question. What happened to the saucy chicken and vegetable recipe?
Sorry, I updated the recipe to something very similar. But here is the beloved original. Thanks so much for loving my recipes:)
2½-3 pounds chicken legs and thighs
2 teaspoons salt plus more to taste
1 small onion
2 teaspoon minced garlic
1-2 teaspoons thyme or rosemary
1 tablespoon paprika
½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
2-3 Roma tomatoes or 14-5 0z canned tomatoes
1 tablespoon bouillon powder
2 pounds vegetables (zucchini, carrots, etc.)
1 green pepper, sliced
¾-1 pound red or new potatoes
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
Trim chicken of excess fat and pat dry with a cloth or paper napkin. Rub with lemon, salt, and pepper.
Combine the rosemary, tomatoes, ½ of the onion, Maggi/bouillon, garlic, smoked paprika, and cayenne pepper in a food processor or blender. Pulse for about 30 seconds until blended.
Drench the chicken with tomato sauce, and refrigerate for two or more hours, preferably overnight.
Slice vegetables into large chunks and place in a 9×13 baking pan with the green pepper and remaining onion.
When ready to bake, place the chicken and sauce on the bed of vegetables and potatoes. Sprinkle with parsley.
Bake uncovered for 60-90 minutes until chicken is tender, occasionally basting the chicken with sauce from the dish.
What temperature do you set the oven for
Thanks for catching that. Preheat your oven to 350℉/177℃, ready.❤️
How could I do this recipe with chicken breast? I’m thinking about bone in chicken breast and boneless. Bake longer or shorter?
Boneless chicken breast cooks a lot faster than thighs and legs. I would cover and roast the veggies with the sauce for an hour, then uncover it and add the chicken breasts and roast it uncovered for about 30 minutes longer (20-30 minutes depending on the size of the breast). You might want to start checking the chicken’s internal temperature at around 20 minutes if it’s smaller.
Great recipe!
I played with it a little upon cooking it for a second time. I wanted more sauce. Third time around I’m trying some more spices.
Thanks again.
Where does the green pepper come into play?
You add with the vegetables before placing in the oven
I love your chicken dishes…..i tried creamy chicken over the holidays…wow it was a winner ….
That’s so terrific to hear Georgina! Thank you for letting me know!
Hi Imma all the way from San Antonio TX!! I just made this dish last night (first dish on my list) and I must admit I was a little skeptical since I’m learning to cook with different spices and flavor. OMG, it was a huge hit even with the 5 year old! I’m so sold and will be trying the other recipes!
Awesome Nikki! Glad the recipe went well and more important it was a hit with the little one. Have a kid too and know how picky they can be. Thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts with us.
Very Good, Imma!! Made it a few nights ago and family loved it! I was short on time so I didn’t get to marinate the chicken but it was still delicious. Thanks for the recipe!
My confidence is broken! You tell one person to heat the oven to 350 degrees and you tell another one it should be 375 degrees! Maybe I should try it at 400 degrees?
Honestly, you can roast chicken anywhere between 325-400℉ with good results. Sometimes it just depends on your preference, mood, or how much time you have. Please try it at 400℉ and let me know how it turns out.
This was so good…will DEFINITELY be making it again….paired it up with basmati rice…yummm…
Glad you liked it philo
I’m making this tomorrow… Can’t wait
Ummm forgot a pretty important step… What temp is this baked at?
375 degrees F. Thanks Tami
Do you think this would still taste good with skinless chicken? Looks yummy and easy!
Les,it would taste good, however, it will be less moist.
This looks yummy .Which of the can tomatoes will be best for this recipe as there are several types. Is tomato sauce fine or diced tomatoes ?
kelsey, I used hunt’s diced tomatoes or the Costco diced tomatoes , yes you can use tomato sauce . However, fresh ripe roma tomatoes is the best in my opinion, if you have any .