Braised Chicken Thighs with Apples and Rice
From award-winning chef JJ Johnson’s new book, The Simple Art of Rice, this hearty dish has a lovely balance of tartness from Granny Smith apples, sweetness from a brandy glaze, nuttiness from a colorful rice mix and freshness from chopped herbs. He loves to make this comforting recipe for his family on a rainy or snowy Sunday evening. The tricolored rice blend is aesthetically pleasing and fun—the chef uses Ralston Family Farms Nature’s Blend—but you can substitute brown or wild rice. In either case, you’ll end up with a delicious stewed tomato gravy that infuses the rice and chicken with flavor.
Ingredients:
- 2 lb. (1 kg) bone-in chicken thighs (about 6)
- 2 tsp. kosher salt (preferably Diamond Crystal), or more to taste
- 1 tsp. garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp. onion powder
- 1/2 tsp. freshly ground pepper, or more to taste
- 3 Tbs. vegetable oil
- 1 large Granny Smith apple, peeled, cored and diced
- 1 yellow onion, halved and sliced lengthwise
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/2 cup (4 fl. oz./125 ml) Cognac or other brandy
- 1 cup (8 fl. oz./250 ml) low-sodium chicken stock
- 1 tsp. chopped fresh thyme
- 1 tsp. chopped fresh oregano
- 1 can (15 oz./470 g) diced tomatoes
- 4 cups (20 oz./625 g) cooked Ralston Family Farms Nature’s Blend purple, red and brown rice mix or cooked brown rice or cooked wild rice
Directions:
Place the chicken in a large bowl. Sprinkle with the salt, garlic powder, onion powder and pepper and toss well to season the chicken evenly.
Heat a large fry pan over medium-high heat and add the vegetable oil. When the oil begins to shimmer, add the chicken skin side down and sear until golden brown on the first side, 3 to 4 minutes. Turn and repeat on the other side. Transfer the chicken to a plate.
Reduce the heat to medium, add the apple to the pan and sauté until starting to soften, about 3 minutes. Add the onion and sauté, stirring occasionally, until starting to soften, about 4 minutes, then stir in the garlic and cook for 2 minutes. Add the Cognac and stir to deglaze the pan, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom. Cook for about 4 minutes to cook off the Cognac, then stir in the chicken stock, thyme and oregano.
Return the chicken to the pan, reduce the heat to low, cover the pan and simmer for about 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes and simmer until the chicken is cooked through, about 5 minutes more, or longer if needed.
Check the seasoning and serve over the hot rice. Serves 6.
Adapted from The Simple Art of Rice by JJ Johnson with Danica Novgorodoff (Flatiron Books, 2023)
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