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:
- Sear the meat and remove from pot.
- Add in your veggies or garlic. Deglaze your pot. Or skillet. With wine, stock, or beer. Or even apple cider.
- 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.
- OR. Add some extra veggies, in this case the garlic and prunes, and then cover and bake.
- 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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Recipe
Braised Chicken with Apples
- Prep Time: 25 Minutes
- Cook Time: 50 Minutes
- Total Time: 75 Minutes
- Yield: 4 -6 Servings 1x
- Category: Main Course
- Method: Braise
- Cuisine: American
Description
Braised Chicken with apples and Italian sausage is the perfect fall dish. Not only does it make the house smell incredible, it tastes divine!
Ingredients
¼ c olive oil
1 lb sweet Italian sausage
1 2 ½ lb chicken, cut into 8 pieces
8 T red wine vinegar
¾ c chicken stock (I use Better Than Bouillon if I don't have a can)
¾ c dry white wine
1 bay leaf
1 ½ t dried thyme
Salt and fresh pepper
1 c pitted prunes
2 T Dijon mustard
2 large Granny Smith apples, cored and peeled and cut into 1 " cubes
1 T chopped Italian parsley
Instructions
Heat oil in a Dutch oven and brown the sausage in small batches. Set aside. Do the same with the chicken. Set aside.
If there is too much fat, pour it off. Add 4 T of the vinegar to the pot and bring to a boil while scraping up all the brown bits. Then add the stock, wine, bay leaf. thyme and salt and pepper. Cook 1 minute.
Add the prunes and garlic to casserole and cook 1 minute. Now return sausage and chicken to casserole and toss with sauce. Cover and transfer to oven. Bake for about 40 minutes or until chicken is done.
Using a slotted spoon, remove chicken, sausage and prunes from casserole. Keep warm. Add the mustard and the remaining 4 T of vinegar t the Dutch oven. Whisk well. Add the apples and cook over medium-low heat until the apples and garlic are just tender, 5-7 minutes.
Spoon the sauce over the chicken, sausage and prunes; sprinkle with parsley and serve.
Notes
From: Silver Palate New Basics
chef Mimi says
well this is fabulous! chicken, apples and sausage. that combo can't be beat!
sherry says
i've made chicken and apple dishes before. the flavours go well together. i'm sure this would be delicious too! (just wondering why when adding a comment here, we have to reload the page which means that the comment is actually wiped out and you have to start again? i think it would put off potential commenters to be honest. cheers sherry)
Abbe says
Sherry, I'm so sorry to hear about the commenting. Thanks for letting me know. I have someone checking into it. Yep! Chicken and apples are a pretty good combo!
mjskitchen says
The name of this recipe says it all! Love the addition of the Italian sausage. Lots of different flavors going on here.
Abbe says
If only it were true!
Liz says
Don't you love all those Silver Palate cookbooks? They were the ones I cooked from as a newlywed, and I still do today. This is one recipe I've eyed, but haven't made yet. That must change!
Abbe says
Can't beat Silver Palate. Really loved their stuff!
Susan says
I would love to dive right in to that delicious dish! It seems I am really craving savory comfort food in this chilly weather we're having.
Abbe says
I always love comfort food. And the chill has for sure arrived!
Pam says
Braised is good and this looks delicious! Yum!!!
Abbe says
Such an easy way to cook!
Holly says
So much helpful info in this post, thanks, Abbe! I think a hearty, flavorful dish like this would be perfect on this snowy day.
Abbe Odenwalder says
Definitely perfect for the days we have been having! Thanks Holly!
Mimi says
Love this dish. I typically think of pork with apples, but of course chicken works just as well, especially in a lovely braise as this one. Happy Fall!
Abbe Odenwalder says
Chicken works great especially with the prunes and sausage. It is so satisfying!
sherry says
this sounds wonderful abbe. i love those flavours! cheers sherry
Abbe Odenwalder says
Thanks Sherry! Was so happy with this chicken!
2SistersRecipes says
The Italian sausage and chicken must taste fabulous together with this recipe. Sounds so good with the addition of apples and prunes. Great fall meal!
Abbe Odenwalder says
Really has the sweet and spicy and all the garlic makes this totally rock!
angiesrecipes says
I have only tried the stirfry with the combo of apple and chicken. Your braised version turned out really tasty and moreish. Such a wonderful Fall meal, Abbe.
Abbe Odenwalder says
Angie, you must do this. It is delish!
John / Kitchen Riffs says
Braising is such a neat technique, isn't it? Perfect fall comfort food. This is a wonderful combo of ingredients. I'm always up for chicken, and it's fun to combine them with Italian sausage. The prunes and apples really must provide some nice contrasting flavor notes, too. Nice dish -- thanks.
Abbe Odenwalder says
You would like this John. Perfect with a Pinot.