Braised Chicken Thighs Recipe – Immaculate Bites

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

1. 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.
2. Seasonings – White pepper, garlic and onion powder, thyme, and parsley to garnish add depth of flavor to the already magical ingredients.
3. Vegetables – Onions, garlic, tomatoes, carrots, and celery are a tried-and-true combo that adds spectacular flavor, aroma, and texture to this dish.
4. 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

1. 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. 👌
2. Creamy sauce. Add heavy cream close to the end of the braising process for a decadent cream sauce.
3. 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

1. Try to buy chicken thighs that are pretty uniform in size so they cook evenly. 
2. 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.
3. 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.

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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

1. Chicken Stroganoff
2. Tuscan Chicken
3. Grilled Chicken Tenders
4. Chicken Marsala
5. 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.