Braised Chicken Thighs With Tomatillos

By Alison Roman

Braised Chicken Thighs With Tomatillos
Michael Graydon & Nikole Herriott for The New York Times. Prop Stylist: Kalen Kaminski.
Total Time
1 hour
Rating
5(2,433)
Comments
Read comments

Part stew, part braise, these chicken thighs become fall-apart tender in under an hour without the aid of any fancy appliances. Simmered in a tangy broth made from tomatillos and garlic, the sauce becomes delightfully thick and chicken-y, perfect for garnishing with lime, radishes and plenty of cilantro. It's terrific as is, served with tortillas for dipping, but a can of rinsed hominy, beans or cooked rice adds some nice heft.

Featured in: Crazy Tender Chicken in Only an Hour

  • or to save this recipe.

  • Subscriber benefit: Give recipes to anyone

    As a subscriber, you have 10 gift recipes to give each month. Anyone can view them - even nonsubscribers. Learn more.

    Subscribe

  • Share this recipe

  • Print this recipe

Advertisement

Ingredients

Yield:4 servings
  • 1tablespoon canola oil
  • 1½ to 2pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs or legs
  • Kosher salt and black pepper
  • 2garlic cloves, smashed
  • 1red or yellow onion, thinly sliced
  • 1pound tomatillos, husks removed, chopped
  • 1jalapeño, thinly sliced, seeds removed if you like
  • 4cups chicken stock
  • 1(15-ounce) can hominy, chickpeas or other beans, rinsed and drained (or use 2 cups cooked rice)
  • 4radishes, thinly sliced
  • 2tablespoons fresh lime juice, plus 1 lime, halved, for serving
  • 1½cups cilantro, tender leaves and stems
  • Corn tortillas, for serving
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

712 calories; 42 grams fat; 10 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 18 grams monounsaturated fat; 9 grams polyunsaturated fat; 41 grams carbohydrates; 7 grams dietary fiber; 12 grams sugars; 43 grams protein; 1722 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

Powered by

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Heat oil in a large Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot.

  2. Step 2

    Season chicken with salt and pepper. Add to pot, skin side down and cook, without disturbing, until skin has rendered most of the fat and is a nice golden brown, 8 to 10 minutes. (You want it to be very deeply golden brown so that it stays nice and brown as it braises.)

  3. Step 3

    Using tongs, flip the chicken and continue to cook until nicely browned on the other side, another 5 or so minutes.

  4. Step 4

    Transfer chicken to a plate or cutting board, leaving all the fat and golden bits behind. Add smashed garlic and half of the sliced onion. Season with salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is softened and translucent, 5 to 7 minutes. Add tomatillos and half of the jalapeño and season with salt and pepper. Add chicken stock and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to medium and add chicken back in, skin side up (they will not submerge all the way; that’s fine). Simmer, uncovered, until tomatillos have completely broken down and the sauce has thickened, 25 to 30 minutes.

  5. Step 5

    Add hominy and continue to cook until flavors have melded and the sauce has thickened enough to coat the back of a spoon (it should be looser than tomato sauce, thicker than soup), another 15 to 20 minutes.

  6. Step 6

    Meanwhile, combine radish, remaining onion, remaining jalapeño and 2 tablespoons lime juice. Season with salt and pepper and toss to combine.

  7. Step 7

    Serve each piece of chicken with sauce spooned around. Top with radish mixture, some cilantro and tortillas alongside for sopping up all the goods.

Private Notes

Leave a Private Comment on this recipe and see it here.

Ratings

5 out of 5
2,433 user ratings
Your rating

or to rate this recipe.

Have you cooked this?

or to mark this recipe as cooked.

Comments

Perignon

Simple and scrumptious. I didn't have to sub anything thanks to the fresh tomatillos from the local produce stand. I know it's supposed to serve four, but these two hungry guys in their 60's ate the whole thing.

Mary Ellen

Could canned tomatillos be used where fresh not available? Would it change the taste substantially?

Billie

Yes! Plus if anyone wants fresh jalapeno mild not hot look for straight stems. Not curled. From across the TJ border in San Diego. Way I was taught about flavor not heat.

B

I had selected this recipe because it was in the top results for tomatillos, which I had plenty of from a farm share and I really didn't want more salsa verde. What a genuine delight! I did use 6 jalapeno and 2 Serrano peppers (which I also had too many of), which, perhaps expectedly made it somewhat toasty. But entirely worthwhile (and plus side--now it's too spicy for anyone in the house to eat). With the tortillas, I would say this makes three servings (four GLP1 servings); subtract a serving if eating without tortillas.

Tim L.

Delicious as written. Fortunate to have all the veggies available fresh from the garden this first week of September.

HZ

Very good but definitely takes less than an hour. After cooking more than the max time on a fairly high simmer, it was more soup than stew. Would add maybe only 3 cups of chicken stock to start next time since I had no issue submerging my chicken. Also did this with big chicken drumsticks and it worked great.

Private comments are only visible to you.

Recipe Tags

or to save this recipe.