If you want perfectly tender chicken with golden and crispy skin, then this White Wine Braised Chicken recipe is exactly what you need. With the humble yet delicious flavours of wine, leek and bacon, this is a wholesome family meal that will keep the whole family happy. The whole recipe comes together in one pan, meaning less mess!
If you aren’t familiar with braising, essentially the chicken is fried skin side down so it get’s nice and crispy and then roasted submerged in a liquid, leaving you with crispy skin and tender meat. For this recipe we sauté bacon, leek and garlic before adding white wine, stock and seasoning. The potatoes are added to the liquid and then finally the chicken. You end up with the most tender potatoes and tasty chicken.
Ingredients Notes & Substitutions
You only need a handful of simple ingredients to make these braised chicken thighs. I found everything easily at my local grocery store. Below is a list of any ingredients notes and possible substitutions. You can find the ingredient quantities and full recipe in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- extra virgin olive oil
- skin-on chicken thighs (bone-in) – Skin-on thighs are definitely the best option as it means you get a crispy golden skin. You can swap for skin-on chicken breasts if thighs aren’t available, chicken thighs are much more tender though.
- leek – in this recipe you use the white parts of the leek. Make sure when you slice it in half you give it a good wash to remove any dirt. You can save the top of the leek to add to homemade stock. You can swap leek for a brown onion if leeks aren’t available.
- bacon – bacon can be swapped for speck.
- 4 cloves garlic – fresh garlic is definitely best in this recipe.
- dry white wine – I’ve used a sauvignon blanc but any dry white wine will do. Don’t worry about the alcohol content as the alcohol is cooked off when it’s added to the pan.
- chicken stock – you can use chicken stock or chicken broth, it doesn’t make much difference to the final dish.
- potatoes – I’ve used creme gold potatoes, which are more of a waxy potato and holds it’s shape while cooking. You could also use yukon gold potatoes, fingerling potatoes or Dutch cream potatoes.
- asparagus – other vegetables you could use in place of asparagus are green beans, broccolini or broccoli.
- fresh thyme – add a sprig of thyme for extra flavour. If you can’t get thyme you can use a sprig of rosemary instead.
- sea salt flakes
- cracked black pepper
How to Make White Wine Braised Chicken
I love a simple recipe that delivers on flavour and comfort and this recipe is just that. Follow the steps below to get the perfect braised chicken.
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Preheat the oven to 180°C / 356°F (fan forced).
Heat a large shallow casserole pan, dutch oven or skillet to a medium-high heat. Once heated add the olive oil and then the chicken pieces, skin side down. Let the chicken cook undisturbed for 7 minutes and then turn and brown on the remaining side. Transfer the chicken thighs to a plate.
The chicken thighs produce quite a lot of oil in the pan so I like to remove some by carefully using paper towels to absorb most of the oil. Then add the bacon and fry until beginning to brown. Add the leeks and sauté until tender. And then add the garlic and sauté until fragrant.
Pour the wine into the pan and use a wooden spatula to lift up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan, stirring through the wine. Simmer to reduce the wine. Next add the chicken stock and season with salt and pepper to taste.
Turn off the heat and then add the potatoes. Nestle the chicken pieces, skin-side up, into the potatoes so that the skin is still above the liquid and the rest of the chicken is submerged. Add the sprig of thyme and then place into the oven to bake for 20 minutes.
After 20 minutes, add the asparagus to the pan and cook for a further 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and serve warm, making sure to spoon over some of that flavoursome sauce with the leek and garlic.
White Wine Braised Chicken
Equipment
- Sharp knife
- Chopping Board
- Spatula
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- ½ teaspoon sea salt flakes
- ¼ teaspoon cracked black pepper, to taste
- 1 kg skin on bone in chicken thigh
- 1 leek, white part, halved lengthways, thinly sliced
- 100 grams bacon, cut into thin strips
- 4 cloves garlic, peeled, thinly sliced
- 1 cup dry white wine
- 500 ml chicken stock
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 4 medium creme gold potatoes, cut into wedges
- sprig fresh thyme
- 2 bunches asparagus, woody ends removed
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 180°C fan forced (200°C conventional).
- Season the chicken thighs with salt and pepper.
- Bring a large shallow cast iron casserole pan to a medium heat. Add the olive oil and then the chicken thighs, skin down. Leave to fry undisturbed for about 6 minutes, until golden and crispy. Turnover and brown on the other side. Once completely browned, remove the chicken from the pan and add another drizzle of olive oil if needed.
- Add the bacon to the pan and fry until the bacon begins to brown. Add the leek to the pan and sauté until tender. Add the sliced garlic and sauté until fragrant.
- Pour the white wine into the pan and use a timber spatula to lift any browned bits from the bottom. Add the chicken stock and mustard into the pan and stir to combine. Taste the liquid and add more salt to taste.
- Next, add the potatoes and then the chicken, skin side up, back into the pan. Nestle the chicken into the vegetables so that it is mostly submerged in the liquid, with the crispy skin above the liquid. Add the thyme sprigs to the pan and then place into the oven on the middle shelf, to cook for 30 minutes.
- After 30 minutes, add the asparagus into the pan and cook for a further 10 minutes.
- To serve, spoon pieces of potato and asparagus onto each plate along with the leek and bacon. Top with a chicken piece and then spoon the liquid over the chicken and potatoes.
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