Easy Rustic Braised Chicken with Vegetables and Gravy

Name: Easy Rustic Braised Chicken with Vegetables and Gravy
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 180 min
Ingredients: 4-6 Pieces Bone-in Chicken (of choice); 3-4 Carrot Sticks (roughly chopped); 1 Medium Onion (roughly chopped); 3-4 Celery Stalks (roughly chopped); 1 1/2 C Mushrooms (roughly chopped); 4-6 Cloves Garlic (Sliced ); 2 TBS Olive Oil; 2 TBS Butter; 1/4 C Arrowroot Starch; 4 C Chicken Stock; 1/4 C Apple Cider Vinegar; Salt and Pepper; 2 TBS Parsley (to garlish)

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This Easy Rustic Braised Chicken with Vegetables and Gravy is the most delicious fall-off-the-bone comfort food the whole family will love.

Rustic chicken thighs are sitting on a gray stone plate nestled with the roasted carrots, onions, celery and mushrooms and pan gravy. Sitting above it is a fresh bowl of jasmine rice. There is a small ramekin of salt and pepper and a knife and fork for someone to dig right in.

One thing I hear all the time is how expensive it is to go gluten-free. So today, I thought I would share one of my favorite not only easy dinner, but it's also inexpensive, uses simple everyday ingredients, and the flavor you'll have in the end will blow the entire family away.

I am not even kidding; with only a few simple steps and some time alone in the oven to let it work its magic and dinner is served!

Why the Whole Family Will Fall in Love!

Very Simple/ Easy to Find Ingredients!
Inexpensive Ingredients!
Simple Cooking Method!
Delicious Comfort Food!

What does braising mean?

This might sound intimidating, but trust me, it's no. It simply means that we are letting the meat cook in some kind of liquid until it is done. In this case, we are using chicken stock as our liquid.

What equipment do you need to braise?

Typically you need a good quality braiser to braise chicken, which is just a fancy way of saying a dutch oven or covered cast iron type of pot. However, if you don't have one, don't worry; you can still make this dish.

You can also use:

Cast Iron Skillet w/ oven-safe lid.
If all you have is a baking dish, you can use it, but you will need to watch the liquid levels and possibly add more as it cooks since it is not as deep as a typical dutch oven.

You will not get the same results in a slow-cooker or instant pot, so I would not recommend them for this particular dish.

How simple is this?

When I say this dish is super simple with very simple ingredients, I mean it.

Bone-in, Skin-on Chicken Pieces - Bone-in chicken is easy to find, and you can use whatever pieces you want, legs, quarters, thighs, or even breasts. I typically use thighs for this recipe.
Mushrooms
Onion
Carrots
Celery
Garlic
Olive Oil
Butter or Dairy-Free Alternative
Chicken Stock/ Broth
Apple Cider Vinegar
Arrowroot Starch
Garlic
Salt
Pepper
Parsley

Ingredients for rustic braised chicken ready to be cooked laying on a marble cutting board which includes the following, onion, carrots, celery, mushrooms, garlic, butter, chicken stock, apple cider vinegar, butter, arrowroot, parsley salt and pepper and the bone-in chicken thighs.

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Let's Get Cooking!

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
Heat your braising pan on the stove over medium heat and salt and pepper your chicken pieces.
Place your chicken skin side down and let it cook for 4-5 minutes or until it is golden brown, flip and let it cook for another 4-5 minutes on the other side. You might need to brown your chicken in batches depending on size and quantity.
Remove the chicken from the pan.
Add the carrots, celery, mushrooms, and onions to the pan and let them saute in the chicken juices until they start to become soft and slightly caramelized. This should take 5-7 minutes.
When that happens, add in the sliced garlic and stir it around for about a minute. You do not want to burn the garlic.
Next, add in the butter and arrowroot starch and cook it, stirring just until the flour is cooked and no longer visible 1-2 minutes.
Pour in the chicken stock and stir to combine. You can scrape up the bottom to help release the chicken bits that come up and into the sauce. That's the flavor you won't want to miss.
Turn off the heat and add the chicken pieces back into the pan.
Cover and transfer the pot to the oven and cook for 2 ½ - 3 hours until the chicken falls off the bone tender and the sauce has thickened to a nice pan gravy.

Braising steps starting with caramelizing the veggies, then adding the garlic, adding the butter and arrowroot starch. Pouring the chicken stock into the pot, adding the chicken back in to cover and place it in the oven.

Tips and Tricks

Make sure not to crowd your pan when you are searing the chicken. It needs room to breathe; otherwise, the chicken will steam and not sear. You want the chicken to be brown because that will give more flavor to the final dish.

Let it cook the whole time. Yes, the chicken will be fully cooked in under an hour but trust me, let it go longer. I like to leave mine for the full three hours. The chicken is fall off the bone tender, and the sauce has thickened perfectly into a delicious gravy.

How to Serve

You can serve this with what you like, but my husband loves it along with some simple jasmine rice or easy mashed potatoes. It's total comfort food either way.

More Dinner Ideas

Spatchcocked Chicken

Slow Cooked Beef Short Ribs