Braised Chicken with Yams (Sweet Potatoes) is a One Pot Wonder!
You get the chicken, veggies (mushrooms & onions), side veggies (sweet potatoes or yams), and sauce all in one pot. Plus, it’s very easy to prepare and mighty tasty.
This is another recipe from the big Jacques Pepin Cookbook that I was raving about a few months ago. I’ve tried several chicken and fish dishes from this book all with great success. The recipes tend to be very straightforward and pack a lot of flavor without too many fussy steps or specialty ingredients.
The bonus is that I have just barely scratched the surface with this cookbook. It’s huge.
(I made this dish a few weeks ago so Gus is in the ingredient picture. I thought about redoing this photo but seeing him in his customary chicken guarding position makes me happy so I left it in. I mention this only so you won’t think he is visiting from the great beyond or that I’ve gone totally round the bend.)
Here’s what you need:
Chicken Thighs, Mushrooms, Shallots, Garlic, Yams or Sweet Potatoes, Onion, Parsley, White Wine, Olive Oil, Salt & Pepper.
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We start with a little chopping. Finely chop ½ of a medium onion, about ½ cup, and 8 (yes, 8) cloves of garlic, about 2 Tablespoons.
Peel and slice 4 large shallots, about 1½ cups. Clean 8 ounces of mushrooms and cut them into quarters. I have crimini (baby bella) mushrooms but plain white button mushrooms will also do the trick.
Plan on one smallish yam or sweet potato per person. Remove the peel and cut them into quarters.
I plan on 2 chicken thighs per person. As you know by now, I prefer to remove the skin from my chicken thighs. Jacques Pepin actually says to remove the skin in this recipe, but if you are a chicken skin fan (and you know who you are), go ahead and leave it on. You might just need to spoon some of the fat out of the pan before adding the veggies if the skin is on.
Season your chicken thighs with salt & pepper.
Since this is a one pot meal, you need it to be a huge pot or frying pan. I have a 14-inch pan and you will see that I completely fill it up. A big pan or dutch oven is essential.
Heat 2 Tablespoons of olive oil over medium high heat and brown the seasoned chicken on both sides. This should take about 3-4 minutes per side. No need to cook the chicken all the way through as it will braise with the vegetables and wine.
Once the chicken has browned, add the chopped onion, sliced shallots, chopped garlic, and quartered mushrooms to the pan.
Put the quartered yams on top of the chicken and veggies.
Pour in 1 cup of nice, dry white wine. I usually cook with something like Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Grigio.
Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low, and braise or simmer very gently for 20-25 minutes or until the chicken has cooked through (165º) and the yams are fork tender.
Taste the sauce and season to taste with salt & pepper.
I like to pile this all on a big platter, sprinkle with chopped parsley for a bit of color, and serve.
I added a few sautéed green beans with almonds to round out the meal.
Plus, you still have ¾ of a bottle of white wine lurking around. Hint, hint.
Braised Chicken with Yams is another winner of a chicken dinner from Jacques Pepin. Just good, real food.
Here’s the recipe – Adapted from Essential Pepin
PS. Look who has decided to take up a spot at the kitchen counter. We will see how long this “help” lasts…
3 Responses
Wow, this is fantastic! I used boneless/skinless chicken breasts, and didn’t have shallots or parsley, but it still turned out delicious. And quick & easy…thanks for a new go-to recipe, I’ll make this again & again 🙂
GUS!!!!!
This looks fabulous….I’m all about the ‘one dish’ dinner!!!
Love your helpers….too stinking cute. Meow!
I had this dish years ago at a friends house. The same one minus the shallots and yams were cubed. Also done in a crockpot. This one looked good and I wanted to try it and be true to the recipe. The flavor was right on, loved the shallots. BUT….. the yams left so large, I had to cook an extra 20 min which then made chicken over cooked. Will make this again, but will cut yams into smaller chunks.