A Chicken that Raises the Braise Bar

There are 3 million chicken recipes on the internet. We're here to show you the good ones. Win, win.

Today: A weeknight braised chicken that ups its game with black cardamom, orange zest, and ginger.

We might as well rename this column to "100 Ways to Braise a Chicken." Braising is one of our favorite ways to get moist yet crispy chicken—and this iteration is no exception. Inspired by Jamie Oliver's Chicken in Milk, gingerroot has created a black cardamom-flavored chicken that's as moist and flavorful as it is effortless to make. Simply fry a chicken in a Dutch oven until golden brown, then set it to bake. The secret here is to leave the pot completely covered for 45 minutes, (Jamie's recipe, on the other hand, cooks the chicken half-covered) to capture all of the moisture and concentrate the flavors from the spices, then uncover it during the last 25 minutes of baking to allow the skin to crisp up and the jus to reduce. Serve it with a jus- and cream-based gravy to make sure you capture all of the spiced ginger and fragrant orange that makes this dish unique.

Fragrant Braised Chicken

Serves 4

3 to 3 1/2 pound whole chicken, preferably organic
Sea salt, to taste
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
Extra-virgin olive oil, as needed
One 2-inch piece ginger, peeled, cut into four pieces, and smashed with handle of knife
4 black cardamom pods
1 teaspoon whole coriander seeds
Zest of 1 orange
2 1/4 cups cups chicken stock
1/3 cup heavy cream
1/3 cup chopped cilantro, leaves and stems

Save (and print) the full recipe here.

Photo by James Ransom

Is there an undiscovered Food52 chicken recipe you love? Send us a paragraph or two at [email protected] about why you love it, and it could be next week's Winner, Winner, Chicken Dinner.