Ingredients
6 bone-in skin-on chicken thighs (about 2 1/2 lbs.)
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 tbsp. vegetable oil
2" piece ginger, grated
5 cloves garlic, grated
8 oz. small shallots (peeled and halved, if large)
3/4 c. sake or dry white wine
1 c. low-sodium soy sauce
3/4 c. water
1/4 c. granulated sugar
1 tbsp. toasted sesame oil, for serving
Toasted sesame seeds, for serving
Thinly sliced green onions, for serving
Cooked white rice, for serving
Preparation
Step 1Preheat oven to 425°. In a large, deep ovenproof skillet over high heat, heat oil. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Add chicken to skillet skin-side down and cook until deeply golden, 6 minutes. Transfer to a plate.Step 2Add ginger, garlic, and shallots to skillet and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add wine and cook until reduced by half, about 3 minutes. Add soy sauce, water, and sugar, and bring to a boil. Step 3Nestle chicken skin-side up in skillet, tucking it between the shallots. Transfer skillet to middle rack of oven and braise chicken uncovered for about 35 minutes, until cooked through. Remove chicken from pan. Step 4Return skillet to high heat and cook until sauce is thickened, 3 minutes. Pour sauce and sesame oil over chicken thighs.Step 5Garnish with sesame seeds and green onions. Serve with rice.
So, what is braising exactly? It’s a two-step cooking process that involves an initial fry (or sear) followed by slow simmer in a liquid like wine or broth. The result is super tender meat with a flavorful crust. Basically, it’s the best of both worlds! Here, chicken thighs are braised in a luxurious bath of ginger, garlic, shallots, white wine (or sake), and soy sauce, before being gussied up with sesame oil, sesame seeds, and green onions. Voila! Dinner is served. This is a super simple recipe, but the end result is really something special. We love to serve these thighs over fluffy, white rice to soak up that delicious sauce but we also think this would go great with some bok choy or roasted asparagus. If you have any leftovers, they should keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days and in the freezer for up to 4 months. Made it? Let us know how it went in the comment section below!
