Braised Chicken Thighs with Potatoes
SERVES: 4
PRESSURE LEVEL: HIGH
RELEASE: QUICK
TOTAL TIME: ABOUT 1 HOUR
TIME UNDER PRESSURE: 20 MINUTES
WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS For a chicken and potatoes dinner with a delicately flavored sauce, we started by browning half of the chicken thighs to create some fond in the pressure cooker. We then discarded the skin since we knew it would lose any crispness in the pressure cooker and also lead to a greasy sauce. Next we added onion, then garlic, wine, and broth (plus flour for thickening power), picking up the flavorful browned bits on the bottom of the pot in the process. Nestling the chicken thighs into the sauce and topping them with our potatoes ensured even cooking. After 20 minutes under pressure, our chicken, potatoes, and sauce were done. While the chicken rested, we stirred tarragon into the sauce to give it complexity. We prefer to use red potatoes measuring 1 to 2 inches in diameter here; do not substitute larger potatoes or they will affect the cooking time. See the Test Kitchen Tip and Troubleshooting that follows the recipe.
INGREDIENTS
|
8 |
(5- to 7-ounce) bone-in chicken thighs, trimmed |
|
Salt and pepper |
|
|
1 |
tablespoon vegetable oil |
|
1 |
onion, chopped fine |
|
3 |
garlic cloves, minced |
|
2 |
tablespoons all-purpose flour |
|
½ |
cup dry white wine |
|
¾ |
cup low-sodium chicken broth |
|
2 |
pounds small red potatoes, halved |
|
1 |
tablespoon minced fresh tarragon |
1. BUILD FLAVOR: Pat chicken dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Heat oil in pressure-cooker pot over medium-high heat until just smoking. Brown half of thighs, skin side down, until golden, about 6 minutes; transfer to plate. Remove and discard skin from browned and unbrowned thighs. Pour off all but 1 tablespoon fat from pot.
2. Add onion to fat left in pot and cook over medium heat until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in flour and cook for 1 minute. Whisk in wine, smoothing out any lumps, and cook until slightly reduced, about 1 minute. Stir in broth. Using wooden spoon, scrape up all browned bits stuck on bottom of pot. Nestle chicken with any accumulated juices into pot and top with potatoes.
3. HIGH PRESSURE FOR 20 MINUTES: Lock pressure-cooker lid in place and bring to high pressure over medium-high heat. As soon as pot reaches high pressure, reduce heat to medium-low and cook for 20 minutes, adjusting heat as needed to maintain high pressure.
4. QUICK RELEASE PRESSURE: Remove pot from heat. Quick release pressure, then carefully remove lid, allowing steam to escape away from you.
5. BEFORE SERVING: Transfer potatoes and chicken to serving dish, tent loosely with aluminum foil, and let rest for 5 minutes. Using large spoon, skim excess fat from surface of sauce. Stir in tarragon and season with salt and pepper to taste. Pour sauce over chicken and potatoes and serve.