This garlic braised chicken thighs recipe with chicken breasts or chicken thighs, is flavored with dried cherries and porcini mushrooms, and on the bottom of the pan is a layer of potatoes that make this comfort food at its finest. And either a Dutch oven or skillet can be used!
This post may contain affiliate links of which I may or may not be paid a small commission at no cost to you.
Honestly I love braising because it always makes chicken come out tender and juicy.
In other words, it’s hard to ruin this chicken dish.
Made a bit differently than the traditional method of braising, this chicken dish is great made in a cast iron skillet.
Like I said, rules are made to be broken, and this chicken dish is not covered during baking, which is a game changer when it comes to braising.
Some of my favorite recipes are braised chicken recipes.
Because it is not covered there is no need to use a Dutch oven, but you can if you want.
The Dutch oven is actually great for reheating leftover chicken!
Table of Contents
Why This Garlic Braised Chicken Thighs Recipe is so Incredible
Did I mention potatoes?
Did I mention cherries?
And don’t forget the garlic. Lots of garlic!
And bam! This garlic braised chicken thighs recipe with Russian roots, falls into the category of one pot meals.
How you choose to season the chicken is up to you, but remember mushrooms, cherries and sour cream are the hallmarks of Eastern European cooking.
Ingredients for Garlic Braised Chicken Thigh Recipes Dutch Oven Or Skillet
Canola oil or Olive oil
1 -2 heads of garlic
Sour cream, Creme Fraiche or Vegan Sour cream
Dried Porcini Mushrooms or any Full Flavored Dry Mushroom (But I do love porcinis!) Or add fresh!
Skin On Chicken Thighs, Breast or a cut-up Whole Chicken (I cut the chicken breasts into two pieces.)
Russets or Yukon Gold Potatoes, Peeled and sliced very thin (I used a mandoline)
Dried Sour Cherries
Kosher Salt and Your Favorite Seasonings (I used ancho chile powder, ground coffee, brown sugar, coriander and cumin. I think Ras El Hanout would be fabulous, too! Or Fennel Pollen)
Dutch Oven Braised Chicken Recipe with Mushrooms, Cherries and Potatoes
Begin by making the braising liquid which is actually a garlic broth. You can also add a little white wine for extra flavor or some chicken broth. Or skip this step and just use chicken stock and add more garlic.
Heat the oil in a medium saucepan and add the whole garlic cloves and cook over medium-low heat until golden.
Add water or chicken broth and bring to a boil. Simmer for about 1 hour to extract as much of the garlic flavor as you can.
Now mix the broth with the sour cream, creme fraiche or the vegan version and the dried mushrooms.
If your broth simmered away feel free to add more chicken stock as needed, but please don’t let it simmer too fast because you really want that garlic broth!
Season chicken thighs well or whatever type of chicken you choose to use, before browning in 1 T of oil.
Cook over medium heat until golden brown on both sides.
Do not crowd the skillet. You may have to do this in two batches.
Preheat oven to 350.
Pour off all but 1 T of oil from the bottom of the pot or skillet.
Slice potatoes to about 1/8″ thickness on a mandoline.
Place the potatoes overlapping in concentric circles on the bottom of the skillet.
My sliced potatoes were stacked 3-4 layers high.
Place the chicken skin side down on the potatoes and scatter the cherries, and crushed minced garlic cloves on top.
Pour the garlic sauce with the dried mushrooms over the top. The steam will help cook the chicken.
Roast the chicken for 20 minutes and then reduce the temperature to 300 and roast for 45 minutes or until the potatoes are tender and cooked through.
Remove from oven and preheat broiler with the rack placedabout 8 inches away from the broiler.
Broil until golden and crisp, about 8 minutes.
FAQ’s
What are the two steps to braising chicken?
Brown the chicken until golden. Allow the chicken to finish cooking, usually while covered, at low heat in the oven or on a stove top.
Why is sour cream popular in Russia and Eastern Europe?
Sour cream was made as a way to preserve milk rather than discarding it when it spoiled.
Used in everything from soup to stroganoff, from baked goods to topping pierogies, sour cream is an essential part of Eastern European cooking.
Eastern European food tends to be on the bland side and sour cream helps add flavor and creaminess.
I made this garlic braised chicken thighs recipe for our neighbor who loved it. But then again so did Manservant and Alex.
OK. I liked it too. It’s not hard to like something with potatoes, cherries and mushrooms.
The mushrooms add a richness to the chicken, and the cherries add a fruity surprising flavor.
And the potatoes? Well, if you like scalloped potates then you will love these thin sliced potatoes that soak up all the wonderful flavor from the chicken and garlic sauce.
Tips For Making This Easy Recipe
Season the chicken well. If you want to maintain the Russian/Easter European traditional flavors then just use paprika, smoked paprika, garlic, bay leaf and dill, along with the garlic.
I had fun with this recipe by using seasoning that wasn’t traditional. Let’s face it.
This dish is really about layering flavors and one of my favorite things is trying new spices.
I love trying spices from Savory Seasonings and my cabinets are overflowing with too many of them!
I know you know that ras el hanout isn’t Eastern European, but I thought the chilies in the seasoning gave this delicious dish a little something extra.
I also love the Maple Spice From Savory Seasonings.
You could also skip the garlic broth and use red wine, white wine or chicken broth, but I’d still simmer the garlic in it or make sure to add extra garlic to the chicken while it cooks.
Don’t have dried mushrooms? You could saute fresh ones while the chicken is browning.
Don’t have cherries? Apricots or prunes or most any dried fruit could be sustituted into this basic recipe.
Make sure to sprinkle with chopped parsley to bring some color to this one-pot wonder.
A sprinkle or more of fresh black pepper and a pinch of salt flakes like Maldon, adds to the flavor of this chicken dish.
Braising is a great cooking technique and my guess is that many of us have cooked chicken this way without realizing we were braising!
What to Serve with Garlic Braised Chicken Thighs Recipe
Add a salad and a good loaf of bread to sop up all the sauce.
Of course any green vegetable, such as asparagus or green beans would be great with this too!
I’ve had this chicken thigh recipe in my file to try for a very long time and it turned out to be a great choice for a simple Friday night dinner.
Yes, I did add chicken breasts and the rest of the chicken, because I prefer white meat.
And Manservant will always eat the chicken legs!
The good news is with little effort, this amazing chicken dish is one your whole family will love!
Want More Braised Chicken Recipes?
Braised Peruvian Chicken with Coconut and Chilies
Sicilian Braised Chicken with Salami
Garlic Braised Chicken Thighs Recipe with Potatoes
- Prep Time: 30 Minutes
- Cook Time: 75 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 45 minutes
- Yield: 4 to 6 Servings 1x
- Category: Main Course
- Method: Braise
- Cuisine: Eastern European
Description
I love these garlic braised chicken thighs with potatoes, dried cherries and mushrooms. Made in a cast iron skillet, this savory recipe is a one-pot wonder!
Ingredients
2 T canola or olive oil divided
11 large garlic cloves (8 whole 3 crushed)
2 c sour cream, creme fraiche or vegan sour cream
1/2 c dried mushrooms such as Porcinis (1/2 oz)
Kosher Salt, Black Pepper and Other Seasonings of your choice
3 lbs of chicken thighs or chicken of your choice with skin and bones!
3 medium Yukon gold or Russet Potatoes, peeled and sliced 1/8″ thick
1/2 c dried cherries
Parsley for garnish
Instructions
*Begin making the garlic broth. Heat 1 t of oil in a medium saucepan. Add the whole garlic cloves and cook over medium-low heat stirring until golden, about 5 minutes. Add 4 cups of water and bring to a boil. Simmer over low heat until reduced to 3 cups.
Let cool and whisk in sour cream and dried mushrooms. Add salt and pepper and test for other seasonings. (I added garlic powder.)
While the garlic broth is simmering, season the chicken well on both sides with salt and pepper and seasonings of your choice.
Heat 1 T of oil in a cast iron skillet or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add chicken pieces to skillet and cook until golden on both sides, about 10 minutes total. (The chicken does not have to be cooked all the way through.)
Preheat oven to 350.
Remove the chicken from the skillet and pour off all but 2 T of oil from skillet. Arrange potato slices, overlapping slightly, in a circle over the bottom of the skillet to form several layers. Place chicken skin side down on top of the potatoes. Scatter the crushed garlic, and cherries over the chicken. Pour the garlic sauce with porcinis over chicken and roast for 20 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 300 and roast about 45 minutes longer, until the potatoes are tender and the chicken is cooked through.
Heat the broiler and place the chicken skin side up about 8 inches from the heat. Broil about 8 minutes or until the skin is crisp. Garnish with fresh parsley and a sprinkle of fresh black pepper and some Maldon salt flakes.
Notes
*If you choose not to make garlic broth use chicken broth, red wine or white wine.
Adapted from Kachka, Food and Wine 2018.
