Crispy Braised Chicken Thighs With White Beans, Spinach, and Rosemary
Recipe from J. Kenji López-Alt
“Braised” and “crispy” typically do not go together, but this braised chicken thighs recipe gets you the best of both worlds: fall-off-the-bone tender meat, and golden-brown skin. The key is to start by searing the chicken in a braiser to develop a nice crust (I use the Titanium Braiser Pro for superior results). After building a simple white bean stew flavored with rosemary and other aromatics, you nestle the chicken thighs back down into the liquid and place the whole thing in the oven (or countertop oven!) uncovered so that the skin gets extra-crisp while the meat slowly cooks from below.
Every recipe I publish here is personally tested, tasted, and approved.
30 min
1 hr 20 min
4 - 6
What You'll Need
Ingredients
Chicken and Beans
- 8 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs, about 1.5 kg
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 30 ml extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 medium onion, finely diced
- 2 medium carrots, peeled and finely diced
- 2 celery stalks, finely diced
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 4 rosemary sprigs, leaves finely chopped and stems reserved
- 140 g baby spinach, roughly chopped
- 475 ml low-sodium chicken stock, plus more as needed
- 425 g cans cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
Lemon-Rosemary Oil
- 15 ml finely grated lemon zest
- 15 ml fresh lemon juice, plus more to taste
- 45 ml extra-virgin olive oil
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Note: You can adjust the amount of chicken stock depending on how brothy you like your beans. I like enough that there is plenty of liquid to spoon into bowls, but not so much that the chicken is submerged—the skin needs to remain exposed in the oven in order to stay crisp.
Directions
Step 1
Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat the oven to 175°C. Season the chicken generously with salt and pepper.
Step 2
Heat the olive oil in the braiser over medium-high heat until simmering. Add the chicken skin-side down and cook, without moving, until deeply browned and it releases easily from the pan, about 8 minutes. Turn and braise until lightly browned on the second side, about 3 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a plate.
Step 3
Add the onion, carrots, and celery to the braiser. Cook, stirring and scraping up the browned bits from the bottom, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and half of the chopped rosemary and cook until aromatic, about 30 seconds.
Step 4
Add the spinach and cook, stirring, until wilted, about 1 minute. Pour in 2 cups of the stock and scrape up any remaining browned bits. Stir in the beans and reserved rosemary stems. Add more stock as needed until the beans are loose and brothy but not soupy. Season lightly with salt and pepper.
Step 5
Nestle the chicken into the beans skin-side up, keeping the skin completely above the liquid. Transfer the braiser pan to the oven and roast uncovered for about 45 minutes, until the chicken is tender and the skin is crisp.
Step 6
Meanwhile, combine the remaining chopped rosemary, lemon zest, lemon juice, and olive oil in a small bowl. Season with salt, pepper, and more lemon juice to taste.
Step 7
Discard the rosemary stems. Taste the beans and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper. Drizzle the lemon-rosemary oil over the chicken and beans and serve from the pan.
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J. Kenji López-Alt
J. Kenji López-Alt is a chef, food writer, and bestselling author known for blending science and cooking with an approachable, curious style. A graduate of MIT, he shifted from biology to kitchens, working in fine dining before becoming managing culinary director at Serious Eats. His column “The Food Lab” earned a James Beard Award and evolved into a New York Times bestselling cookbook. He later authored The Wok and Every Night Is Pizza Night. Today, Kenji shares recipes and experiments through his books, YouTube channel, and social media, inspiring home cooks worldwide.
