Braised Italian Chicken

This is one of those where-has-this-been-all-my-life kind of recipes.  It takes a bit of a time investment, but it is easy to put together, doesn't require any unique ingredients, and is incredibly versatile.  It's hard to beat that, I tell you.  The combination of the quick sear, the acidity of the tomatoes, and the low-and-slow simmer in the oven make the chicken juicy, tender, and fall-y apart-y in just the most perfect way.  (You like my use of intelligent descriptive words there?  Fall-y apart-y is awesome and you should all say it.)  Serve this succulent chicken over pasta, rice, couscous, quinoa, barley, vegetables, whatever else you can think of--most recently I served it over the Mushroom Barley Risotto from a couple days ago and dang was it tasty.  Or serve it on french rolls or pretzel rolls for a great sandwich.  Use it as a chunky, chicken-y pizza sauce (no need to add toppings other than the cheese...) or hey, just eat it straight up with a spoon.  I won't judge. 

Braised Italian Chicken

Number of Servings: 6
Time to Prepare: 1 hour 20 minutes

• 1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs
• kosher salt
• black pepper
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 cup diced onion
• 1/3 cup shredded carrot
• 5-6 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes
• 1 (15 oz) can tomato sauce
• 2 tsp Italian seasoning
• 1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar, divided
• 2-3 tsp dried basil
• freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

To prepare chicken, rinse all pieces in cold water and trim off any excess fat.  Blot dry on paper towels.  Season one side of chicken with kosher salt and black pepper.

Heat a large skillet to medium heat.  When hot, add olive oil and make sure it spreads across the bottom of the pan.  Place chicken salt side down and cook for 2-3 minutes.  While it’s cooking, sprinkle the top side of the chicken with salt and pepper..  Flip chicken pieces and cook for 2-3 minutes.  Remove chicken and place in a 2 or 2 1/2 quart casserole dish with a lid.

Add onions and carrots to the skillet and cook for 2-3 minutes, add garlic and cook for an additional 30 seconds, or until fragrant.  Add the diced tomatoes (including the liquid from the can), tomato sauce, Italian seasoning, and 1/2 tablespoon  of the balsamic vinegar.  Stir ingredients and bring to a simmer.  Pour over the chicken in the casserole dish and put the lid on.

Bake for 1 hour. Remove from oven and remove lid.  Use two forks to shred the chicken into large chunks.  Add the remaining 1/2 tablespoon of balsamic vinegar and the dried basil.  Add additional kosher salt and pepper to taste.  Garnish with Parmesan cheese.

Note: Instead of using a skillet and transferring to a casserole dish, you can do the whole thing in a dutch oven (I just don't have one).

Source: slightly adapted from Our Best Bites
Produce Used: Onion, carrot, garlic