We wanted to retain all the elegance and refinement of this classic light braise of chicken and vegetables while dispensing with traditional time-consuming steps such as breaking down a whole chicken and making stock. So we started by browning bone-in chicken pieces, which helped build a rich base for the sauce; peppery pancetta, onion, and aromatics came next. We added a bit of white wine to brighten the rich pork flavor and then lightly thickened the base with a bit of flour. Stirring the best of the garden—mushrooms, carrots, and small Yukon Gold potatoes—right into the sauce and simmering the vegetables along with the chicken kept their essential flavor and cooked them to perfect tenderness. Starting the simmer with just the dark meat and reserving the white meat for later ensured that all the pieces cooked to their ideal doneness without turning dry and chewy.
Notes
- Buy a 4-ounce chunk of pancetta from the deli counter.
- Try to buy potatoes with a 1-inch diameter. If you can find only slightly larger potatoes, up to 2 inches in diameter, cut them in half. Do not substitute russet potatoes for Yukon Gold potatoes.
- Note that the dark and white meat are added to the pot at different times in step 3.
Ingredients
- 3 pounds bone-in chicken pieces - split breasts cut in half, drumsticks, and/or thighs, trimmed
- ¾ teaspoon table salt - divided
- ¾ teaspoon pepper - divided
- 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
- 4 ounces pancetta - cut into ½-inch pieces
- 1 onion - chopped fine
- 3 garlic cloves - minced
- 2 teaspoons minced fresh thyme
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 cups chicken broth
- ¾ cup dry white wine
- 12 ounces small Yukon Gold potatoes - unpeeled
- 8 ounces small white mushrooms - trimmed and halved
- 4 carrots - cut into 1-inch chunks
- ½ cup frozen peas
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh tarragon - or parsley
- lemon wedges
Instructions
Brown the chicken:
- Pat the chicken dry with paper towels and sprinkle with ¼ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper.
- Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat until shimmering.
- Add the chicken, skin side down, and cook until well browned on both sides, about 3 minutes per side.
- Transfer the chicken to a plate.
Cook the aromatics and braise the dark meat:
- Reduce the heat to medium.
- Add the pancetta, onion, garlic, thyme, and the remaining ½ teaspoon salt to the now-empty pot and cook until the onion just begins to soften, about 4 minutes.
- Stir in the flour and cook for 1 minute.
- Slowly whisk in the broth and wine.
- Stir in the potatoes, mushrooms, carrots, chicken drumsticks and thighs, and the remaining ½ teaspoon of pepper and bring to a simmer.
- Cover and simmer for 25 minutes.
Finish and serve:
- Uncover and stir.
- Add the chicken breasts and any accumulated juices to the pot; return to a simmer.
- Cover and continue to cook until the breasts register 160 degrees and the drumsticks/thighs register at least 175 degrees, about 20 minutes longer.
- Off heat, stir in the peas and let sit uncovered for 5 minutes.
- Stir in the tarragon and season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Serve with lemon wedges.