Braised Chicken Legs with Olives and Tomatoes

Braised chicken legs are my go-to cold weather meal for two. They’re often the least expensive part of the bird, which is key when you’re buying well-raised chicken, and they pair very well with hearty ingredients like red wine and tomatoes. The dark meat turns fall-apart tender and adds rich, savory flavor to the braising liquid as it simmers, absorbing the flavors of the sauce as well. While this dish does take a while to cook (about an hour and 15 minutes from start to finish), the last hour is entirely unattended, and braised dishes make the house smell amazing as they bubble away on the stove. For a wintertime meal, nothing is better than a braise.

This particular chicken dish doesn’t really belong to any specific cuisine. It has a bit of a Provençal bent to it, including two kinds of French olives (oil-cured and Picholine), thyme, and rosemary. A splash of Burgundy wine adds delicious complexity to the sauce, and a pinch of Turkish Aleppo pepper brightens things up with just a little bit of heat. Come to think of it, a Greek-inspired showering of lemon zest and chopped parsley at the end of cooking wouldn’t hurt either. I’ll leave it to you to add that flourish if you please.

This is my last post before the new year, and so I’d like to wish you all a happy holiday season!

See you in 2012,

Coco a.k.a. Opera Girl

Braised Chicken with Tomatoes, Olives, and Red Wine 

serves 2

1 Tbsp. olive oil

1 Tbsp. Garlic Gold oil

2 whole chicken legs (leg and thigh attached)

1/2 medium yellow onion, sliced into 1/8″ half moons

1/2 tsp. dried thyme

1/2 tsp. dried rosemary

1/4 tsp. aleppo pepper

1 C. dry red wine

1/4 C. water

1 1/2 C. jarred strained tomatoes (I like the Bionaturae brand)

1/3 C. oil-cured black olives

1/4 C. Picholine olives

1. In a large (12-inch) non-stick skillet, heat the olive oil and Garlic Gold oil over a medium flame.

2. Place the chicken thighs gently into the skillet, browning them for about 4 minutes on one side.

3. Turn the chicken over, and nudge the pieces to one side of the skillet. On the other side of the skillet, add the onion, thyme, rosemary, and aleppo pepper. Sautee for about five minutes, until the onions are softened and a little bit browned.

4. Add the wine, water, tomatoes, and olives to the skillet. Stir everything around a bit, cover, and bring up to a simmer.

5. Turn the heat down to low, and let simmer for an hour.

6. Serve over rice or pasta.