Braised chicken thighs make an easy, elegant entrée that the whole family with love!
Juicy chicken thighs and mushrooms in a savory white wine sauce make for a delicious recipe that will be on rotation all year long! Just sear and bake everything together in the oven and dinner’s ready!
What is Braising?
Braising meat simply means to fry until crisp and then slow cook in liquid. In this case, the chicken thighs are browned in a frying pan and then baked with a mushroom broth and herbs.
It takes less than an hour and the chicken comes out delicious and tender!
Chicken Thighs are budget-friendly and this recipe uses simple ingredients you probably already on hand!
Ingredients & Variations
CHICKEN
Bone-in chicken is the best option for this recipe. My first choice is chicken thighs as the meat comes out incredibly tender!
The bones also add flavor to the sauce. If using boneless pieces, add a little more seasoning and reduce the cooking time (be sure not to overcook).
SAUCE Chicken broth, white wine, and spices are simmered with mushrooms and garlic to make this delicious sauce.
No wine? No problem, just replace with additional chicken stock or cream for a thicker, creamier version!
Not a fan of mushrooms? Try eggplant or onions in place.
How to Braise Chicken Thighs
Be sure to use a skillet that can go from the stovetop to the oven for easier prep and cleanup!
- Season chicken and brown the skin. Set aside.
- Add mushrooms and cook until tender. Add in wine, broth and herbs (per recipe below).
- Set chicken on top of mushrooms and bake until chicken is fully cooked.
Easy peasy!
Serve this dish over easy rice pilaf, egg noodles, or mashed potatoes.
Tips for Braising Chicken
- Look for thighs that are uniform in size so they all cook the same.
- Lightly saute the mushrooms in advance so they continue to cook in the oven and soak up all those amazing braising juices!
- Nestle the chicken in the mushrooms and ensure you have enough sauce to cover about ½ way up the chicken (add a bit extra broth if needed). You want to make sure the skin is exposed so it can crisp.
- Use a meat thermometer and test from the thickest part of the chicken (without touching the bone) to ensure it reaches 165°F.
- Once the leftovers are fully cooled, keep them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Delicious Chicken Dishes
- Chicken ala King – 30-minute meal
- Sticky Bourbon Chicken – better than take-out
- Chicken Cacciatore – fresh ingredients
- Cilantro Lime Chicken – marinated & juicy
- Cheesy Chicken Casserole – kid-friendly
- Coq au Vin – so elegant & tasty
Did you make these Braised Chicken Thighs? Be sure to leave a rating and a comment below!
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 pounds bone-in skin-on chicken thighs
- ½ teaspoon seasoned salt or to taste
- black pepper to taste
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 pound mushrooms sliced ½" thick
- 2 teaspoons soy sauce
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme leaves
- ½ teaspoon dried rosemary slightly crushed
- ⅔ cup chicken broth
- ½ cup white wine optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°F.
- Season chicken with salt & pepper. Set aside.
- Heat butter and oil in a 10" skillet over high heat. Add chicken (skin side down) and brown without moving the chicken, about 4-5 minutes. Remove from pan and set aside.
- Quickly toss the mushrooms with soy sauce. Cook mushrooms, garlic, thyme and rosemary until mushrooms are tender, about 5 minutes.
- Add chicken broth and white wine. Simmer 2 minutes.
- Place seasoned chicken, skin side up over the mushrooms.
- Bake 35-40 minutes or until chicken reaches 165°F. Broil 1 minute if desired.
- Spoon mushroom sauce over chicken. Garnish with parsley and serve.
Notes
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Chicken, Dinner, Entree, Main Course
Cuisine American© SpendWithPennies.com. Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited. Please view my photo use policy here.
Delicious. My husband loved it. I only had boneless, skinless thighs and should have cut the time. Next time I’ll use thighs with bones and skin.
Great recipe, easy and tasty.
Thin tasting. No body, no depth of flavors. Two thumbs down.
Sorry that you didn’t enjoy this chicken as much as we do Carl. Thank you for trying it.
10/10 will absolutely make this again, and probably soon. The smell alone is enough to make your mouth water. Served it with sweet potatoes and rice pilaf. So easy and delicious.
I used boneless, skinless chicken thighs. Just reduce cook time a few minutes.
This wonderful recipe could not have been easier to make! Even though I had boneless, skinless thighs (I’m sure the skin adds great extra flavor) and tarragon (instead of rosemary) on hand, the flavors all blended beautifully. Since I didn’t use rice or potatoes, I reduced the sauce slightly and added a small amount of flour to make a gravy to pour over just the chicken and served with veggies.
Thank you Holly!
You’re so very welcome Bert! Sounds like a perfect dinner!
Can you use cooking wine.
Cooking wine doesn’t tend to have great flavor. The best bet is to use a wine you’d drink or at the very least, a very inexpensive bottle of wine.
This is in the oven now and smells so heavenly. Wow the mus hroom sauce is so flavorful and I don’t even like mushrooms! Thank you for this recipe.
omg omg omg Outstanding. Eager to use my new enameled cast iron dutch oven (a Christmas present to myself). This recipe was perfect for it. Seriously tender chicken. And the savory aromas while cooking was mouth watering.
So glad you loved this Clair!
Hi! Am I able to use boneless skinless thighs for this?
I haven’t tried it but do think it would work. You’ll likely need to reduce cook time a bit.
Super easy and better than I’d hoped. I got eye rolls from my husband!
Excellent recipe. The dish has a nice sophisticated feel and flavor to it. It was great. A couple of notes: At 30 minutes in a 425 degree oven, my thighs were 200 degrees at the bone. Maybe 20-25 minutes next time? The skin was extra crispy. Everyone loved that. I only used a half pound of mushrooms. A full pound seemed excessive and I LOVE mushrooms. At any rate, with some modifications, this recipe is a keeper.
Thanks.
Thank you for sharing Eric! So glad you love this chicken dish!
Every bit as easy and good as advertised. My chicken were done after half an hour, so watch them.
I made this for the first time and it turned out to be amazing. It will most definitely be a weekly dish in my house (since I am the only cook there).
Yay, so happy you enjoyed it, Tim!
Shucks. Was this supposed to be covered with a lid in the oven? The mushrooms were pulverized and the chicken over cooked. I even calibrated The heat with my ATK thermometer next to the pan in the oven.
Oh no Kristin, how disappointing! I cook this uncovered to allow the chicken to brown. Chicken thighs (with bone and skin) usually take about 35-40 min so I can’t say for sure what went wrong for you.
Easy and delicious!
Real easy to make better than take out food at home.
Great dish. My husband loves mushrooms, so it was a hit. Thanks for all your recipes!
This sauce is so rich and flavorful, that I can hardly wait to make it with ground beef patties (I used cremini or baby-bella mushrooms for their superb flavor) . I made the entire dish in the skillet on/in a grill. Too hot to cook inside. This is definitely a keeper.
Love the tip about making it in a skillet on the grill! Thanks for sharing.
I just made this and it is truly Awesome and my husband loved it! I used my fresh Thyme and Rosemary. Lots of mushrooms- I added a little to much broth so I had to add cornstarch and a packet of chicken gravy because we like a thicker gravy. Had mashed potatoes and our fresh picked green beans sautéed with butter and green onions. Very good dinner! A Keeper!
That sounds delicious Mary! :)
I don’t do wine. Can I replace it with more chicken broth?
Definitely Kate! Enjoy :)
Hi Holly, do you have any books published that I could buy? I love your recipes! Simple and easy
Hi Judy, we have recipe ebooks and a meal planner available on our Shop Page.