Aromatic Braised Chicken

Sunday evening I had the opportunity to use two great Christmas gifts - a Dutch oven (from my mom) and Cooking at Home with The Culinary Institute of America (from my dad). The result? Aromatic Braised Chicken. Actually the name of the dish in the cookbook is Aromatic Chicken Braise - but that sounds weird to me, like the words are out of order. So now it is Aromatic Braised Chicken. Either way . . . it is good! Maybe not quite as aromatic as I had imagined, but very tasty, savory and a little sweet at the same time. I thought the green onions and orange peel might be a little much for Mr. Meat & Potatoes, but he actually really liked this recipe. It's something a little out of the ordinary, definitely worth trying!

Aromatic Braised Chicken

4 chicken drumsticks
4 chicken thighs (2 chicken breasts)
salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 tbsp. peanut oil (I used grapeseed oil)
1 tbsp. minced ginger
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup minced green onion (white and green parts) (divided use)
1 one-inch-square piece orange zest
1 tsp. julienned orange zest
1 cinnamon stick
1/2 tsp. dried red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp. peppercorns
1 1/2 cups chicken broth (or stock) (divided use)
3 tbsp. dark soy sauce (Tamari)
3 tbsp. Chinese rice wine or dry sherry wine
2 tsp. sugar (I omitted)
4 cups steamed rice

1. Trim chicken pieces of excess fat and skin, and season with salt and pepper; set aside.
2. Heat the oil in a wok (or Dutch oven) over (medium) high heat. Add the ginger, garlic, 2 tbsp. of the green onion, the square of orange zest, the cinnamon stick, red pepper flakes, and peppercorns. Cook until aromatic, about 2 minutes.
3. Add the chicken pieces to the mixture and cook until light golden brown on all sides, 4-5 minutes.
4. Add 1/2 cup of the chicken broth and the soy sauce, wine, and sugar and stir to combine. Bring to simmer and reduce the heat to maintain a bare simmer. Cover and cook gently until the chicken is opaque in the center but still tender, 25-30 minutes.
5. Transfer the chicken to a platter with a slotted spoon, cover to keep warm, and return the pan to high heat. Add the remaining chicken broth. Bring the liquid to a boil and cook until reduced and slightly thickened, 2-3 minutes. Taste and season with salt and pepper.
6. Return the chicken to the sauce along with any juices on the platter. Heat thoroughly in the sauce and turn to coat evenly, about 2 minutes.
7. Remove the cinnamon stick and the zest square. Serve the chicken and sauce immediately over rice; garnish with remaining onions and orange zest.