Braised Chicken with Apples

Braised Chicken with apples and Italian sausage is the perfect fall dish. Manservant and I  loved it and tonight I’m even serving the leftovers with mashed potatoes. Because he ate all the noodles!

Braised chicken and apples with Italian sausage and prunes may sound like an unlikely combination, but this dish had Manservant swooning.

Me too, because this perfect Fall dish is redolent with wine and mustard and garlic. Really everything that makes my home smell good.

This simple braised chicken recipe is a Silver Palate favorite and possibly you caught on with the addition of the prunes.

And the mustard. And even the garlic. Seems the girls loved these ingredients.

I’ve been a fan of their cookbooks ever since I bought the first one back in 1982 and have made their Chicken Marbella countless times. It was one of the first recipes I put on this blog and needs major updating, but at least the recipe is there!

So let’s start at the beginning.

What does it mean to braise chicken?

Braising (from the French word braiser) is a combination-cooking method that uses both wet and dry heats: typically, food is first sautéed or seared at a high temperature, then finished in a covered pot at a lower temperature while sitting in some  liquid, which  also adds flavor.

In this case, I first browned my chicken and Italian sausage in my Dutch oven and then once it was golden, I deglazed my Dutch oven with vinegar and scraped up all the stuck morsels on the bottom of the pot and then added the rest of the ingredients.

Braising can get kind of messy so watch your burner temperature, so the sizzle doesn’t send greasy spatters onto your cook top. Perhaps you may want to use a splatter screen.

Braised chicken can be flavored however you want, because braising is just the method of cooking the chicken, however I loved this riff with apples and sausage and mustard.

Kind of sounds like a charcuterie platter to me. I love anything with sausage and apples!

Add in lots of garlic, and wine (or you could use apple cider and what a great heartwarming dish.

I don’t know about where you are at, but boy…Summer seems to have turned into winter in Colorado.

With snow and more snow and lots of cold, well Saturday it was 72 and yesterday it dropped into the 20’s. I’m not sure Fall really happened.

Don’t want braised chicken?

Pot roast and short ribs are often braised. As is brisket.

Generally the meats that need to become tender are often the ones braised. However if you overcook any of these it will make them tough.

What is the difference between braising and stewing?

Pretty straight forward here.

Stewing is when the meat  or poultry is fully submerged in the liquid.

Braising uses as little liquid as possible to make the dish tender and flavorful. Beware of overcooking in either method as then what ever you are cooking can become tough.

Yes, there is a fine line between tender and tough. Don’t I know.

Steps involved in Braising:

1. Sear the meat and remove from pot.
2. Add in your veggies or garlic. Deglaze your pot. Or skillet. With wine, stock, or beer. Or even apple cider.
3. Return the meat or chicken to the pot. Make sure it is totally not submerged, because you aren’t making stew. Bring to a simmer and then cover. Place in oven.
4. OR. Add some extra veggies, in this case the garlic and prunes, and then cover and bake.
5. When everything is cooked and the entire house smells good, remove the pot from the oven. Take out the meat and sausage, but keep it warm. I usually place it on a platter and tent it with foil. Then add mustard and vinegar and the apples to the pot. Cook until tender. Now spoon this amazing sauce over the chicken and sausage. (Another option would be to reduce the sauce in the pot and make a thicker sauce but we were very happy with this just the way it was!

It’s hard to say that braised chicken with apples will make the world a better place, but it sure made our home a better place. Even if it was just for one night!

Need a Few More?

Sicilian Braised Chicken with Salami

Chicken Mole with Pumpkin Seeds

Chicken Vesuvio

 

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