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Health & Fitness

Recipe: Braised Chicken with Kale

So, my husband and I received more kale in our CSA the other week and I found another recipe to ensure that we use it.  It uses my favorite cooking vessel: my Dutch oven.  I am seriously OBSESSED with this pot.  If you don't have one, I highly recommend you spend the money.  Or in my case, I put it on my Christmas list.  Best gift I received last year.

Sorry got sidetracked, back to the recipe...  Truly a one-pot wonder which I love since we don't have a dishwasher (right, I know!  Don't even get me started.).  So clean up is a breeze and all the flavors accumulate in one spot.  Mmmmmm!!!!

I would like to note that when we cooked this dish, the temperatures were 90+ degrees and humid. So as good as this dish was, good gosh was our house a sauna!  I think this would be an ideal fall meal if you can find kale in your local market then. Or perfect for a cool summer's night. which we recently have had.  Regardless, it was a yummy dish and think you should try making it.  Just probably not on a 90-degree day...

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And thank you Google for pointing me to this recipe...

Braised Chicken with Kale

INGREDIENTS
  • 2 tablespoons canola oil, divided
  • 4 chicken leg quarters, skinned
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1.1 ounces all-purpose flour (about 1/4 cup)
  • 5 garlic cloves, chopped
  • 1 (16-ounce) package cut prewashed kale
  • 1 (14.5-ounce) can no-salt-added fire-roasted diced tomatoes, undrained
  • 1 (14.5-ounce) can fat-free, lower-sodium chicken broth
  • 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
PREPARATION
  1. Preheat oven to 325°.
  2. Heat a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add 2 teaspoons canola oil.
  3. Sprinkle the chicken with black pepper and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Place flour in a dish, and dredge chicken.
  4. Place 2 leg quarters in pan, and cook for 1 1/2 minutes on each side. Remove from pan.
  5. Repeat procedure with 2 teaspoons oil and remaining 2 leg quarters. Remove from pan.Two leg quarters, dredged in flour, placed in pot...Browned and removed from pot.
  6. Add remaining 2 teaspoons oil to pan. Add garlic; cook for 20 seconds.
  7. Add half of kale; cook for 2 minutes.
  8. Add remaining half of kale; cook 3 minutes.
  9. Stir in tomatoes and broth; bring to a boil.
  10. Return chicken to pan.
  11. Cover and bake at 325° for 1 hour and 15 minutes.
  12. Remove chicken from pan; stir in vinegar.
  13. Serve chicken over kale mixture.

Yum.  That is a simple summation of how this meal turned out.

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The leg quarters were  huge and the the meat was so juicy and falling off the bone.  Not a dry bite at all.  I understand some people are weird about eating meat off the bone (personally, I think those people are crazy but hey that's just my opinion).  I find that meat on the bone (ribs, drumsticks, wings, bone-in steaks, etc.) have a thousand times more flavor and come out extremely tender...which this dish did.

As for the kale, tomato, broth mixture.  Delicious.  You can definitely taste the fire-roasted flavor from the tomatoes come through and the kale tender and a nice complement with that touch of texture.  We added a bunch of garlic (far exceeding what the recipe called for because we love garlic) but honestly it was still was a subtle flavor.

And with it being so hot outside and in our house after cooking this, the meal was not heavy whatsoever.  Surprisingly light with great, great flavor.

This meal would feed at least four people.  However, the leg quarters have a lot of meat and could easily feed two more people.  Overall prep and cooking time about an hour and a half.  And again, a one-pot meal which makes cooking and clean-up quick and easy.  Bonus!

Other than adding more garlic than the recipe called for, that was our only change.  We kept true to the recipe and it did not disappoint.  Adding this to the Carroll Household recipe rotation.  For sure.

Happy Cooking!  -g

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