Garlic Braised Chicken in a Creamy White Wine Sauce
 
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
 
Author:
Recipe type: Entree
Serves: 4-6
Ingredients
  • 2½ lbs (about 8 pieces of dark meat chicken, thighs and drumsticks)
  • 1 - 2 Tablespoons oil (avocado, grape seed, sunflower, or any other high smoke point oil)
  • 2 onions, minced
  • 1 large head of garlic, peeled, whole cloves (10-15 cloves)
  • ¼ cup all purpose flour
  • ½ cup dry white wine, such as sauvignon blanc
  • 1½ cups chicken broth
  • ½ cup heavy cream
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 teaspoon dry herb seasoning
  • salt, ground black pepper, to taste
  • fresh herbs, minced, to garnish, optional
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
  2. Trim the chicken thighs from all extra fat. Dry the chicken very thoroughly on both sides with a paper towel. Season the chicken with salt and ground black pepper on both sides.
  3. Heat the oil on high heat until smoking hot in a large and deep skillet or dutch oven. Brown the chicken on both sides really well until golden brown, about 5-8 minutes owe sides. Don't try to flip the chicken over until it's completely golden, otherwise it will stick to the pan and tear.
  4. Depending on the size of the dutch oven/skillet or how much chicken that you're using, you might need to brown the chicken in 2 batches. The chicken will not be cooked through at this point, just seared on the outside. Set the chicken aside while you make the sauce.
  5. Drain most of the fat that was rendered off while browning the chicken, leaving behind about 2 Tablespoons. Add the minced onions to that same pot, season with salt and ground black pepper. Cook for 5-7 minutes, on medium low heat, until the onions are tender and golden. As the onions get tender they will also exude some liquid. Use a spoon or a whisk to scrape up the golden bits (called fond) from the bottom of the pan, until the bottom of the pan is smooth and all the golden bits are incorporated into the onions.
  6. Add the whole garlic cloves and then the flour. Mix the flour into the onions and oil until incorporated.
  7. Pour in the white wine and the chicken broth gradually, whisking the liquid until the sauce is smooth. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer. Pour in the heavy cream. Add the bay leaf, the dry herb seasoning and more ground black pepper and salt to taste. Mix to combine.
  8. Return the chicken to the sauce, layering it on top of the sauce, but being careful that the sauce is not covering the chicken skin, because it will get flabby if you cook it in the sauce.
  9. If your dutch oven/skillet is not oven proof, transfer the sauce and the chicken into a deep oven proof dish, otherwise you can keep it in the same pan that you started it in.
  10. Braise the chicken, uncovered, in the preheated oven for at least 1 hour and up to 1 hour and 45 minutes. You can turn up the heat of the oven up to 450-500 degrees Fahrenheit for the last 5 minutes to crisp up the skin even more before serving it.
  11. Remove the chicken out of the sauce. I like to take one extra step and pour the sauce through a fine mesh sieve, to make it extra smooth. Serve the sauce on the side or over the chicken.
Recipe by Olga's Flavor Factory at https://www.olgasflavorfactory.com/recipes/main-course/poultry/garlic-braised-chicken-creamy-white-wine-sauce/