Brothy Fall Braise

As soon as the first leaf falls I get excited to move into fall cooking. To me, it means the method slows down and the flavors intensify. Fall cooking is similar to winter cooking, except the ingredients are still light and colorful and the herbs are still fresh from the garden. As we move to the darker months, I reach for red wine instead of white, tomato paste instead of diced, beef instead of chicken. We’re not there yet, so in this recipe we can enjoy some fresh late summer produce and soft herbs cooked together for a delicious hearty, yet still light meal. As always everything is better enjoyed with a buttered baguette.

Yield : 4 servings

Prep : 2 1/2 hours

3lbs or 2 - 3 Whole Chicken Legs, bone in/skin on 
2 quarts Chicken Stock, unsalted 
4 cloves Garlic, peeled and smashed 
1/2 cup Yellow Onion, sliced
1/2 cup Fennel, remove and discard core, sliced 
1 Tart Apple, peeled and sliced
1 cup Carrots, peeled and sliced 1 inch thick 
1 cup Honeynut or Butternut Squash, peeled and sliced into 1 inch chunks 
2 sprigs Rosemary 
Handful of Fresh Dill or Basil
1 Tbsp Nonpareil Capers, drained
3 Tbsp Miso 
2 Tbsp Dijon 
3/4 cup White Wine 
Salt and Fresh Cracked Pepper  
Cooking Oil
1 1/2 cups Dry Farro or Lentils 

Place oven rack in the center and preheat to 375 degrees

Heat an oven-safe heavy bottomed pot over medium-high heat.

Pat chicken dry and season liberally with salt and pepper.

Add a splash of oil to the pot. Carefully place chicken skin side down and brown for 5 minutes, checking to ensure it isn’t burning. Turn to flesh side and cook for another 5 minutes. Remove chicken from the pan and add smashed garlic, onions and fennel. Sauté for 5 minutes. Deglaze with white wine, scrapping the bottom of the pot to remove brown bits. Cook for another 3 minutes. Add apples, carrots, squash, herbs, capers, miso, dijon and stock. Stir to combine all the flavors. Season liberally with salt and pepper. Nestle chicken thighs into braise and bring the entire pot to a boil.

Do not cover before transferring to the oven. Cook for 1 hour and 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and let rest, as is,  for 30 minutes.

While braise rests cook farro or lentils according to package instructions.

After 30 minute rest, remove chicken and rosemary stems from the pot. Discard rosemary.

Turn oven broiler to high.

Place chicken onto a sheet tray and carefully crisp skin under the broiler until bubbly and golden brown.

Tear chicken and skin into large shredded chunks.

Fill the bottom of a bowl with chosen grain. Spoon broth, veggies and torn pieces of chicken over the top. Enjoy with a slice of crusty baguette!