Chicken Bonne Femme

By Patlynn

Braising the chicken and potatoes in liquid instead of frying them allowed us to sear the chicken, cook the potatoes, and build a sauce for our Chicken Bonne Femme all in the same pot. This cut down on cleanup and also streamlined the cooking process. By browning the thighs skin on and then removing the skin before braising, we could impart flavor to the dish without worrying about the flabby skin that is often a side effect of braising. A simple sauce of dry white wine, chicken broth, onion, garlic, thyme, hot sauce, scallions, and parsley finished off our recipe.

Ingredients

• To ensure even cooking and browning, use baby red potatoes no larger than 1 1/2 inches round.
• 3 pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs, excess fat trimmed
• Salt and pepper
• 5 slices bacon, chopped
• 1 1/2 pounds baby red potatoes, scrubbed and halved
• 1 onion, chopped fine
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 teaspoons minced fresh thyme
• 3/4 cup white wine
• 1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth
• 1 teaspoon hot sauce
• 3 scallions, sliced thin
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Preparation

Step 1

1. Pat chicken dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Cook bacon in Dutch oven over medium heat until crisp, about 8 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer bacon to paper towel-–lined plate. Pour off all but 1 tablespoon fat from pot. Heat bacon fat over medium-high heat until just smoking. Cook chicken until well browned all over, about 10 minutes; transfer to plate. When chicken is cool enough to handle, remove and discard skin.


2. Pour off all but 1½ tablespoons fat from pot. Arrange potatoes, cut-side down, in pot and cook over medium heat until golden brown, about 10 minutes. Stir in onion and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and thyme and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in wine, broth, half of bacon, and hot sauce and bring to boil.


3. Return chicken and any accumulated juices to pot. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook, covered, until potatoes are tender and meat registers 175 degrees, about 25 minutes. Sprinkle with scallions, parsley, and remaining bacon. Season with salt and pepper. Serve.



Brown the Potatoes


Most chicken braises call for browning the meat before adding liquid. For another layer of flavor in our Bonne Femme, we browned the potato halves in a combination of bacon and chicken fat.


BROWN BABY BROWN
Frying the potatoes before building the braise adds depth of flavor.