I LOVE braising! Braising, or cooking in liquid, ensures the meat is super moist and flavorful. For best results use a braising pan. Braising pans are generally enameled cast iron pots or pans with a heavy lid with ridges or bumps that allow the evaporated moisture to collect and drip back down into the food evenly, keeping all the moisture in the food. When braising or slow-cooking I believe using bone-in meat adds not only additional layers of flavor but also all of the health benefits of bones and skin–collagen, vitamins and minerals–essentially a bone broth. This is why I use bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs for this recipe, not to mention the cost can be significantly less that boneless/skinless chicken.
In this recipe I didn’t use the standard green olives in a jar, I used Sicilian herb green olives from the olive bar at my local supermarket to add some herbs to the mix, but if you are only able to find the standard green, this will still be delicious.
Lemon Braised Chicken with Olives
1.5 lbs bone-in skin-on chicken thighs
1 can low sodium chicken broth
Juice of ½ a large lemon
2 tbsp dijon mustard
Olive oil
2 tbsp. cornstarch
1 cup pitted green olives from olive bar. I used Sicilian herb.
Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a heavy braising pan with lid. Season chicken on both sides with kosher salt and fresh cracked black pepper and sauté until barely browned on each side, about 7-10 minutes each side. Sprinkle cornstarch into oil in the bottom of the pan and stir a little. Squeeze lemon into the cornstarch then add can of broth and stir, scraping the bits off the bottom of the pan. Stir in the mustard and olives, cover and simmer on low for at least 20 minutes or up to an hour. Serve with roasted potatoes and sautéed cauliflower or broccoli.