Chicken Breasts Braised with Hard Cider, Bacon, and Parsnips
Yield: 4 to 6 servings
I’m so happy this gorgeous pot of Chicken Breasts Braised with Hard Cider, Bacon, and Parsnips came to grace our family table!
Ingredients
- 4 bone-in skin-on chicken breasts (about 3 lbs. total)
- kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tsp. olive oil
- 4 slices thick-cut bacon cut into 1/2'' wide strips
- 3 T. minced shallot
- 2.5 c. hard cider I used Angry Orchard Apple Ginger
- 1 T finely chopped fresh rosemary
- 1 lb. parsnips peeled, any woody core removed, and cut into sticks about 3'' by 1/2''
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325° F.
- Rinse chicken breasts under cool running water and dry them thoroughly with paper towels. (Be sure to dry the chicken thoroughly, or it won’t brown properly and will threaten to stick to the pan during searing.) Season chicken all over with salt and pepper. Set aside.
- In a 3½-quart braiser or large deep skillet with lid, over medium heat, combine oil and bacon pieces. Stir a few times, until the bacon renders most of its fat and is just crisp, about 6 minutes. With tongs or a slotted spoon, transfer bacon to a paper towel-lined plate to drain.
- Pour off and discard all but 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and rendered bacon fat from the pan. Return braiser to the same burner, and heat the remaining fat over medium-high heat. Place prepared chicken breasts skin side down in the pan and brown, without disturbing, for a few minutes. Then peek underneath by lifting the edge of the chicken with a pair of tongs to see if the skin is crisp and bronzed. Once the skin is nicely browned, about 4 to 5 minutes, turn with tongs and brown the other side as well, another 4 to 5 minutes. Transfer chicken to a large plate to catch the juices, and set aside.
- Return braiser to same burner, still over medium-high heat, and add shallot to the pan. Let it sizzle, stirring, for a minute. It will brown quickly, so be careful to not let it burn. Quickly pour in 2 cups of the hard cider to deglaze, and scrape the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon to dislodge and dissolve the browned bits that will flavor the sauce. Let the cider boil to reduce down to about 1/2 cup, about 15 minutes or so. Add the rosemary and the remaining 1/2 cup cider and boil down again until there’s about 3/4 cup total, another 6 to 8 minutes. The cider won’t become very thick, but you will be concentrating the combined flavors of fruit, bacon drippings, chicken drippings, and rosemary in the process. I promise you, it's yummy!
- Add the parsnips and season with generous grindings of black pepper and a pinch of salt. Sprinkle the bacon over the parsnips, and arrange the chicken pieces on top, skin side down. Cover with parchment paper, pressing down so that the paper nearly rests on the chicken pieces and hangs over the sides of the pan by about an inch, and set the lid in place. Slide the pan onto a rack in the lower third of the oven to braise at a gentle simmer. After 25 minutes, turn the chicken pieces, and check the liquid. If it is simmering too ferociously, lower the oven temperature 10 to 15 degrees. Continue braising until the meat at the thickest part of the breast is cooked through when you make a small incision with a knife, another 20 to 25 minutes.
- I prefer to serve this meal directly from the braiser, placing it right in the middle of our table. This provides not only a beautiful centerpiece, but it also keeps the chicken and parsnips hot. I also like to add a large spoon to the braiser, so everyone can spoon a bit of the delicious sauce over their chicken. This meal is great served with a big bowl of rice.
Notes
Adapted from All About Braising by Molly Stevens, a book I highly recommend.
Nutrition Information:
Serving: 1 Calories: 246kcal Carbohydrates: 30g Protein: 6g Fat: 7g Saturated Fat: 2g Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g Cholesterol: 12mg Sodium: 294mg Fiber: 4g Sugar: 15g
Nutrition information is automatically calculated by Spoonacular. I am not a nutritionist and cannot guarantee accuracy. If your health depends on nutrition information, please calculate again with your own favorite calculator.