Braised Chicken

Braised chicken, rice pilaf and a roasted tomato. We served 240 meals today.

Usually when there is chicken to cook and serve at the Wednesday Community Meal, we go the universally loved crispy route - oven-baked with a crumb coating.

Today, inspired by already sliced mushrooms, containers of minced onion, celery and carrots (donated by Trader Joe's) and a can of Knorr brand white sauce, we decided to braise the chicken.

We seasoned the chicken well with fresh rosemary, garlic, salt and pepper and cooked it in a hotel pan in a 350 degree convection oven for 15 to 20 minutes until the skin began to brown. We then pulled the chicken out of the oven and gave it a few ladles of the creamy white sauce that was flecked with the vegetables.

The chicken after being coated with white sauce. It then went back into the oven to cook uncovered for 15 minutes. Then, covered with foil and cooked until done.

We put the chicken back into the oven for another 15 minutes to darken the sauce and then pulled it out of the oven once again and covered the pan with foil. The pans then went back into the oven until the chicken reached an internal temperature of 165 degrees.

The result was moist and flavorful chicken that was falling off the bone. My friend and fellow volunteer Jeff said it looked like it came from Martha Stewart.  It did look pretty great - delicious and comforting.

The guests gave us lots of compliments on the chicken which always makes us happy. No one wants to eat the same thing over and over again and we want our guests to feel satisfied.