Sunday dinners with a one pot, whole braised chicken are absolute heaven. Especially when it’s dreary and cold outside. I started tinkering with this recipe after finding Nigella’s one pot lemon chicken very good, but a little lacking for me. Because I wanted a more flavorful broth with a little acidity, I added whole plum tomatoes, dried herbs and some white wine. What I ended up with was super flavorful, fall of the bone chicken, with lots of vegetables, broth and pasta to slurp together. Comfort food at its best basically.
What goes into this one pot, whole braised chicken?
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All the ingredients are pantry and fridge friendly. First, you start off by searing a whole chicken in a large dutch oven. Then, you remove the chicken and start building flavor. Onions, garlic and carrots are sauteed until softened. Next, pearl cous cous or small pasta go in near the end of cooking time. An amazing one pot wonder of a meal! We love it with some parmesan grated at the table.
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The Video.
How to make this whole braised chicken your own.
This is such an easy recipe to personalize. If your family prefers different vegetables, go ahead and use those instead. Just slice them on the chunkier side since they will be cooking for over an hour. I first made this whole braised chicken with small cabbage wedges instead and I thought it was delicious! It’s reminiscent of cabbage rolls, if you’re into that. Here are some other vegetables you can use:
- cauliflower florets (cut on the larger side)
- butternut squash, cut into chunks
- sweet potato, cut into chunks
- zucchini, cut into chunks
- mushrooms, any variety, torn or cut into chunks
- eggplant, cut into chunks
- sturdy greens like chopped kale or collards, added when the small pasta goes in
- cabbage wedges (slice a head in half, leave core intact and cut wedges about 2 inches thick)
Also, change up the flavor profile a little by adding different herbs or spices. Smoked paprika, chili flakes or allepo pepper would be nice for a spicy kick. Torn basil could be added right before serving too.
What to do with leftovers.
I love having leftovers as they can save me cooking on another night. If you’ve cooked the pasta with the chicken, you’ll find that it will absorb a lot of the broth as it sits in the fridge. If this doesn’t bother you, just reheat and serve as is, maybe adding some chicken stock or water to loosen things up. Or, cook the pasta separately on the stovetop and add it to each serving as you dish it up. That way, your leftovers will remain brothy and you can serve fresh pasta with it on another night.
What I’ve also done with the leftovers is make it into a soup. I’ll take out whatever chicken is left, pull the meat off the bones and add it back to the pot. Reheat it with extra chicken stock to make it soupy and maybe stir in some cooked rice, instead of pasta. Make sure to re-season everything to taste, if you do this.
One Pot, Whole Braised Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 3 ½-4 lbs (1550 g) whole chicken (trim excess fat around cavity opening)
- 1 large onion, thinly sliced
- 4 carrots, medium-large, cut into chunks
- 3 cloves garlic, peeled and thinly sliced
- 1-1½ pounds (500 g) little waxy potatoes, golf ball sized
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon oregano, dried
- ½ teaspoon thyme, dried
- ¾ cup white wine (optional)
- 28 ounce whole plum tomatoes, canned
- ¾ cup israeli (pearl) cous cous or orzo pasta (or other small pasta)
- 1 bunch flat leaf parsley or dill, leaves coarsely chopped (optional, for garnish)
- grated parmesan cheese, for serving (optional)
- salt, to taste
- pepper, to taste
Method
- Preheat oven to °350 F (180°C). Heat a large dutch oven (at least 5 quart size) over medium high heat. Pat chicken dry with paper towel. Season all sides liberally with 2 teaspoons salt (or to taste) and pepper. Add the oil to the pot. Place whole chicken, breast side down, into the pot. Sear the chicken until skin is golden brown, about 5-6 minutes. Remove and set aside.
- Add the onions and carrots to the pan. Saute' vegetables for about 5 minutes, until onions are softened and translucent. Push the vegetables aside to make a clear spot in the pan. Add the tomato paste and allow it to brown for 30 seconds. Scatter in the garlic and dried herbs. Saute', stirring everything together. Cook for 1-2 minutes.
- Add the white wine, if using (if not using, just skip to canned tomatoes). Bring to a boil and cook, reducing liquid to about half. Add the canned tomatoes, juice and all. Break the tomatoes apart, slightly, with the back of a wooden spoon. Add the potatoes. Season everything with 1-2 teaspoons salt (or to taste) and pepper.
- Place the chicken, breast side up, on top of everything. Fill the tomato can with water. Pour water into the pot so it comes up to about half way up the chicken. Bring to a boil. Cover with a lid. Place in oven and cook for 1 hour. Add the cous cous, orzo or other small pasta, if using, around the chicken. Stir into the broth. If using pearl cous cous, cook in oven with lid on for another 15 minutes. Orzo or other small pasta may take 5 minutes more (taste pasta for doneness).
- When done, stir some parsley or dill into the brothy pasta. You can bring the pot to the table and remove the entire chicken, shredding up the meat. Or, leave the bird in the pot and ladle out portions of the stewed vegetables and parts of the chicken. Top with more parsley or dill and serve with parmesan on the side, if desired.
Notes
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