This braised chicken thighs recipe pulls out all the stops! Bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs seasoned Middle Eastern style and pan-seared until golden, then gently braised in an aromatic wine, garlic, and mushroom sauce.
Busy weeknights often call for sheet-pan dinners like my Greek sheet-pan chicken, or one-skillet wonders like my Uncle Sammy’s famous onion chicken. But for nights when I want something extra special I turn to this braised chicken thigh recipe, which takes just a bit more TLC but makes the crispiest skin and most tender, flavorful meat.
I wanted a Middle Eastern-meets-Moroccan vibe for this recipe, so I went with a bold mix of sweet and savory flavor-makers. The spice blend is where the magic happens, combining aromatics like rosemary and paprika and warming spices like allspice and nutmeg. It’s incredible!
From there, a bit of technique comes in. I render some fat from the skin in a hot pan, which sounds fancy but only requires you to resist the temptation to fuss with it. The skin releases from the pan and crisps up to golden brown perfection.
Then the aromatics come in: lots of garlic (no surprise), shallot, red pepper paste, dried fruit, and wine add a beautiful depth of flavor. The chicken bakes in the savory wine sauce until juicy and it's finished with sautéed mushrooms, a squeeze of fresh lemon, and a sprinkle of parsley.
Although it takes some time near your stove, it’s quick enough to make on a weeknight (ready in under an hour) when you need a little extra comfort.
Table of Contents
Braised Chicken Thighs Ingredients and Substitutions
A well-stocked spice drawer is the secret to making this braised chicken thigh recipe any night of the week–head over to our spice shop if you need a refresh.
- Spices: Dried rosemary, sweet paprika, coriander, black pepper, allspice, and nutmeg add a warming, savory and aromatic quality to the chicken.
- Kosher salt enhances the flavor.
- Chicken: I used bone-in, skin on chicken thighs, which stay incredibly juicy with a satisfyingly crispy skin. Skinless boneless works too, you’ll want to cut the cooking time to about 30 to 35 minutes.
- Extra virgin olive oil coats the pan to prevent sticking.
- Shallots add a mild onion flavor. You can substitute with a small chopped yellow or white onion.
- Garlic adds that indescribably delicious sweet and savory flavor to the braising liquid.
- Tomato paste adds richness.
- Wine adds a depth of flavor. You can use red or white (I used red), just make sure it’s both dry and tasty enough to enjoy on its own. The alcohol will cook out, but you can substitute with chicken broth if you avoid alcohol entirely (you may want an extra hit of lemon at the end).
- Low-sodium chicken broth is the base of the liquid. Use homemade chicken stock or a high-quality store-bought variety.
- Bay leaves add a beautiful aroma to the braise. Dried or fresh work.
- Dried figs or apricots (I used figs) add a touch of sweetness.
- Mushrooms add an earthy quality and soak up the delicious braising liquid. You can use inexpensive varieties like white or baby bella, or really any mushrooms you like will work here.
- Fresh lemon juice lifts the richness. You can substitute a splash of Champagne or Sherry vinegar.
- Fresh parsley adds a refreshing quality to lighten the dish. I wouldn’t substitute dried herbs, but other tender green herbs like tarragon or basil could work.
How to Make Braised Chicken Thighs
Braising chicken thighs takes a little more attention than a sheet pan dinner, but it’s well worth it for the crispy skin and flavorful meat. Here’s how it’s done:
Get Ready to Cook
- Make the spice mixture. In a small bowl, stir together 1 teaspoon each dried rosemary, sweet paprika, and ground coriander, and ½ teaspoon each ground black pepper, allspice, and nutmeg.
- Season the chicken. Pat 8 bone-in, skin on chicken thighs dry with paper towels. Season well with salt on both sides, then rub the spice mixture on both sides, lift the skin, and rub some of the spice mixture underneath. Set aside for 20 minutes, or refrigerate uncovered for 2 hours if you have the time.
- Prep your aromatics and veggies. Slice 7 shallots in half from top to bottom and peel off their papery skin. Coarsely chop 10 garlic cloves. Slice 3 ounces of dried figs or apricots in half. Clean, trim, and halve 12 ounces mushrooms.
Pan-Sear the Chicken
- Render the chicken skin. Coat a large braiser or Dutch oven in a thin layer of olive oil (1 to 2 tablespoons) and set over medium-high heat. When the oil is shimmering (but before smoking), add the chicken, skin side down, and cook undisturbed for 8 minutes until the skin releases from the pan and turns golden brown, lowering the heat if it starts to smoke excessively. Do this in batches if necessary to avoid overcrowding the pan.
- Flip. Turn chicken over and brown on the other side briefly, about 3 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a plate for now (you will cook it through later).
- Make an aromatic braising liquid. To the pot, add the shallots and garlic. Cook briefly, stirring over medium heat until softened and fragrant, about 3 minutes. Stir in ¼ cup tomato paste, ¾ cup dry white or red wine, 2 cups low sodium chicken broth, 2 bay leaves, and 1 teaspoon dried rosemary. Season with a pinch of salt. Bring to a simmer, and bubble until the liquid is just slightly reduced, about 4 minutes.
- Return the chicken to the pan. Carefully nestle the chicken into the liquid, making sure the liquid covers only ¾ of the chicken thighs, leaving the skins exposed. Add the figs (or apricots) and bring to a simmer.
Braise the Chicken Thighs
- Braise the chicken. Transfer chicken to the oven and cook, uncovered, until tender and the liquid has reduced by about half, about 40-45 minutes (you will add mushrooms at the 30-minute mark). Check halfway through to be sure the liquid is okay, you should still have some liquid in the end (add a splash more hot broth or water if necessary).
- Meanwhile, sauté the mushrooms. Coat a small non-stick pan in a thin layer of olive oil and heat over medium-high. Add the mushrooms and stir until they release their liquid and turn golden brown, about 7 minutes. Remove from the heat.
- Finish the chicken. About 10 minutes before the chicken has finished cooking, carefully add the sauteed mushrooms to the pan. Return to oven for those last 10 minutes.
- Garnish and serve. Squeeze on the juice of half a lemon and garnish with a handful of fresh parsley leaves. Serve immediately, scooping the pan sauce over top.
What to Serve with Braised Chicken Thighs
Serve with Lebanese rice, making sure to get some of the pan juice on top. Add a side of something fresh and light, like a simple green salad dressed with Lemon Vinaigrette.
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Braised Chicken Thighs with Mushrooms and Dried Figs
Easy braised chicken, seasoned with a Mediterranean rosemary spice mixture and cooked in a flavorful sauce with red wine, shallots, and mushrooms. Dried figs or apricots add a hint of sweetness, but not at all overwhelming.
Ingredients
For the Spice Mixture
- 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
- 1 teaspoon sweet paprika
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon ground allspice
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
For the Chicken
- 8 bone in skin on chicken thighs
- Kosher salt
- Extra virgin olive oil
- 7 shallots, peeled and halved from top to bottom
- 10 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
- ¼ cup (2 ounces) tomato paste
- ¾ cup dry red or white wine (I used red)
- 2 cups homemade chicken stock or low-sodium chicken broth
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
- 3 ounces dried figs or apricots, halved (I used figs)
- 12 ounces white or Baby Bella mushrooms, cleaned, trimmed, and halved
- ½ lemon, juiced
- Fresh parsley, for garnish
Instructions
- Get ready. Preheat your oven to 350°F.
- Make the spice mixture. In a small bowl, stir together the rosemary, paprika, coriander, black pepper, allspice, and nutmeg.
- Season the chicken. Pat the chicken very dry with paper towels and season well with salt on both sides. Rub the spice mixture on both sides, making sure to lift skin up and rub some of the spice mixture underneath. Set aside for 20 minutes, or refrigerate uncovered for 2 hours if you have the time.
- Render the chicken skin. Coat a large braiser or Dutch oven in a thin layer of olive oil (1 to 2 tablespoons) and set over medium-high heat. When the oil is shimmering (but before smoking), add the chicken, skin side down, and cook undisturbed for 8 minutes until the skin releases from the pan and turns golden brown, lowering the heat if it starts to smoke excessively.
- Flip. Turn chicken over and brown on the other side briefly, about 3 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a plate for now (you will cook it through later).
- Make an aromatic braising liquid. To the pot, add the shallots and garlic. Cook briefly, stirring over medium heat until softened and fragrant, about 3 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste, wine, broth, bay leaves, and 1 teaspoon dried rosemary. Season with a pinch of salt. Bring to a simmer, and bubble until the liquid is just slightly reduced, about 4 minutes.
- Return the chicken to the pan. Carefully nestle chicken into the liquid, making sure the liquid covers only ¾ of the chicken thighs, leaving the skins exposed. Add the figs (or apricots) and bring to a simmer.
- Braise the chicken. Transfer chicken to the oven and cook, uncovered, until totally tender and the liquid has reduced by about half, about 40-45 minutes (you will add mushrooms at the 30 minute mark). Check half way through to be sure liquid is okay, you should still have some liquid in the end (add a splash more hot broth or water if necessary).
- Meanwhile, sauté the mushrooms. Coat a small non-stick pan in a thin layer of olive oil and heat over medium-high. Add the mushrooms and stir until they release their liquid and turn golden brown, about 7 minutes. Remove from the heat.
- Finish the chicken. About 10 minutes before the chicken has finished cooking, carefully add the sauteed mushrooms to the pan. Return to the oven for those last 10 minutes.
- Garnish and serve. Finish with lemon juice and a garnish of fresh parsley. Serve immediately, scooping the pan sauce over top.
Notes
- Shop this recipe: Visit our shop to browse quality Mediterranean ingredients including the olive oil and spices used in this recipe.
- Chicken is fully cooked when its internal temperature at the thickest part reaches 165°F.
- Serve with: Something to soak up the tasty sauce, like Lebanese rice, couscous or focaccia.
- To achieve extra crispy skin, be sure to pat the chicken very dry and resist the temptation to move the chicken before the skin is nice and golden brown. Make sure the skin does not soak in the liquid when you return it to the pan. (If there is too much liquid, continue simmering it for a few more minutes.
- Leftovers are glorious! Simply refrigerate in a glass container with a tight lid for 2 to 4 days. Or you can freeze in a freezer-safe container until a later time. Thaw overnight in the fridge.
- To reheat: place in a baking dish, add a little liquid (broth or water) to the bottom, not covering the chicken fully. Bake in a medium heated oven until warmed through.
Nutrition
Calories: 413.8kcalCarbohydrates: 17.5gProtein: 27.6gFat: 24.8gSaturated Fat: 6.7gPolyunsaturated Fat: 5.2gMonounsaturated Fat: 10.2gTrans Fat: 0.1gCholesterol: 141.6mgSodium: 201.5mgPotassium: 776.1mgFiber: 3.1gSugar: 9.1gVitamin A: 368.7IUVitamin C: 9.4mgCalcium: 58.3mgIron: 2.4mg
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*This post has recently been updated with new information for readers’ benefit.
I made this for Valentines dinner but used white wine and left out the figs/apricots. It was still fabulous! My picky kids ate their whole piece and my husband had seconds. This will be added to the regular rotation for sure! Thank you Suzy!
Wonderful! Thanks, April!
Hi! I absolutely love this dish, but I was hoping to get the nutrition info to see if it fits in my macros.
Hi, Amanda. Unfortunately some of our older recipes like this one do not have nutritional information at at the moment because they were published before we had that ability. We are slowly making our way back to add that. Sorry for the inconvenience here.
Made this last night for our family of six (four kids under the age of 15, two picky eaters) and EVERYONE loved it. It was so incredibly flavorful. I used red wine (a pinot noir) and dried apricots. Will definitely be adding this to the rotation.
Awesome! Thanks, Chrissie!
If I cut this down to 2 chicken thighs, for just 2 people, do I cut all ingredients down, or keep liquids the same amount. Any advice on scaling this down would be very much appreciated.
Hi, Darren! I would go ahead and reduce the amount of the other ingredients accordingly.
could I make this up to step 5 before bringing the liquid to a simmer the day before and then chill the chicken and shallots separately and finish the next day?
Hi, Cheriede! If you'd like to make this ahead, I recommend finishing the recipe completely the day before, and then reheating the day you would like to eat it.
Do I have to soak the dried apricots before adding to the chicken?
No need to soak the apricots, Rohini. Hope you enjoy the recipe!
We’ve made this recipe at least 3 times now and it is awesome! We actually don’t use the figs and we use a whole bottle of wine instead of some chicken stock. It’s soo good!
Thanks for sharing, Cassandra!
Wow what a crowd pleaser!
Made this tonight and it was a huge hit! Will be repeating this one soon
Thanks for the recipe
Yay! So glad you enjoyed it!
So flavorful, so good. I’ve been looking for that spice blend that I taste in Mediterranean restaurant and this was it.
I'm so glad you enjoyed the recipe!!
Sorry ... didn't think my first post went though, so posted twice! Thanks again!
I made this last night and it was fabulous! I followed the recipe and made only minor changes... I didn't have shallots or figs so subbed thick cut red onions and fresh dates cut into large chunks. I also used cremini mushrooms and added them at the same time as the onions and garlic. I transferred the sauce to my cast iron frying pan for the oven as I only had 5 chicken thighs and thought they might sink in the sauce and soften that wonderfully crisp skin. It was perfect... just wish there were more leftovers! Will definitely be a go to recipe! Thanks!
I made this last night and it was absolutely fabulous! The sauce was rich and so tasty! I followed the recipe with only minor variations.... I didn't have shallots so used a red onion... and subbed dates for figs. The only other thing I did differently was add cremini mushrooms at the same time as the garlic and onions. I transferred the sauce to my cast iron frying pan for the oven as I only had 5 chicken thighs and was afraid they would sink in the sauce and destroy that wonderful skin. It was delicious! Sad that there aren't lots of leftovers! Definitely a keeper recipe! Thanks!
Well, I finally made this last night. I used Pinot Grigio white wine instead of red. I decided to bake it as the recipe called for. I only have a small Emeril Lagasse convection oven and my Dutch oven fit perfectly. The skin came out crunchy and beautifully tasty. The sauce came out just perfectly. I made my Lebanese rice with Basmati rice and angel hair pasta topping it with pine nuts. I used chopped leek shoots(looks like chives), and cilantro with lemon zest. Fabulous! There are so many options of spices you can use in this recipe! I love Mediterranean spices and plan to use this recipe again. I did let my chicken set in fridge for 2 hrs with the seasoning before frying. Takes a little prepping, but so worth it! You can do some prepping in advance to help yourself out.
Unfortunately I can’t share the pic of my dish! ☹️ Wanted so much to share my pic!
What a fantastic dinner! Thank you so much for sharing!
I made this! I’ve been looking for a middle eastern style way to braise to chicken thighs so when I saw this recipe on a Mediterranean blog I pounced! Was delicious - a few tweaks I made:
I followed the instructions mostly to a T except that I didn’t have mushrooms or figs. I ended up including potatoes (both regular and sweet potato) which I threw in in the beginning with the chicken. The chicken was moist and the flavor was lovely. We served it with rice.
Some tweaks I made the second time around: I questioned the addition of rosemary to the recipe - it is not a classically used Mediterranean herb (Not that the recipe claimed to be Mediterranean!). While I thought the dish was tasty, I’m used to very bold middle eastern flavors... so I recreated the dish a second time and omitted the wine and instead spiced the pot liquid with that same spice mixture but omitted the rosemary and added a dash of cinnamon and cardamom and added a little extra tomato paste. Wow. Thank you for such a lovely base recipe!!
Thank you for sharing!!
Hi there!
I'm in quarantine and cant get out to shop but excited to make this for dinner tonight! I'm only missing the figs. I scoured my pantry and found some home stewed black plums. Could I maybe add a bit of that instead?
Sure! You could try that... or just leave them out.
Hey Suzy,
I’m so enjoying your newsletters and recipes. I’ve tried one so far. I’m very interested in this recipe and want to know if I can do this recipe in my crock pot. It’s exactly the recipe I was looking for. Oh, and I so love your recipes!!!!
Sure, DeCarla! You can transfer everything to the slow cooker and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours or high for 4 to 6 hours (until chicken is fully cooked with an internal temperature of 165 degrees F.)
Thanks Suzy!!!! I’m making this today!!! Also stocked up on Sumac, Harrisa and Ras el Hanout. Will let you know how it turns out!
Perfect!! Best of Luck, DeCarla!