Chicken Braised in Carrot Juice

Combined with aromatics like onions and ginger, carrot juice tenderizes and sweetens the chicken while it slowly braises in the oven, giving the chicken more depth. For an all-in-one meal, add a few small red potatoes to the baking dish before placing it in the oven.

By Melissa D'Arabian | Experience Life

Makes 4 servings
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour

Ingredients

1 1/4 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 3 medium breasts)
1 1/3 tsp. kosher salt, plus more to taste
2 tbs. all-purpose flour (or substitute rice flour if you’re avoiding gluten)
4 tsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, peeled and sliced into sixths
1 1/2 cups carrot juice
1 cup chicken broth
4 garlic cloves, halved lengthwise
1 1-inch piece fresh gingerroot, peeled and sliced into three rounds
2 fresh thyme sprigs
2 tsp. unsalted butter

Directions

STEP 1

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Rinse the chicken and pat dry.

STEP 2

Use 3/4 teaspoon of the salt to season both sides of the chicken. Add the flour to a medium bowl and dredge the chicken, evenly coating both sides of each breast.

STEP 3

Heat 2 teaspoons of the oil in a large skillet set over medium-high heat. Add the onion and season with 1/4 teaspoon salt. Cook until both cut sides of each onion wedge are browned, about four minutes. Transfer the onion to a baking dish.

STEP 4

Add the remaining 2 teaspoons oil to the skillet. Set the chicken breasts in the skillet and brown on both sides, about six minutes total. Transfer the chicken to the baking dish with the onion.

STEP 5

Add the carrot juice, chicken broth, garlic, ginger, thyme, and remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt to the skillet. This is your braising liquid. Bring to a simmer, then pour over the chicken in the baking dish. (Don’t wash the skillet yet — you’ll want the drippings for your pan sauce.)

STEP 6

Bake the chicken about 35 to 40 minutes until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest breast reads 155 degrees F. Remove the baking dish from the oven, and use a slotted spoon to transfer the chicken and onion to a serving platter. Loosely cover the platter with aluminum foil.

STEP 7

To make the pan sauce, pour the braising liquid through a fine-mesh sieve back into the skillet used to brown the chicken and onion; discard the solids. Bring the liquid to a simmer, reduce heat to medium-low, and cook until the liquid is reduced by about one-third, eight to 10 minutes. Turn off the heat and whisk in the butter.

STEP 8

Uncover the chicken and slice it crosswise into thin pieces. Pour the sauce over the chicken and serve with the onion.

This recipe originally appeared in “Supermarket Healthy: 5 Budget-Friendly Recipes From Melissa d’Arabian.” Photographer: Tina Rupp.

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Farmer’s Chicken

By Andrew Zimmern

James Beard inspired my family to make this dish. His recipe was based on a traditional field hand’s lunch handed down from Spanish settlers in Southern California.