On the Table: Braised Chicken with Carrots and Tomatoes

I made some delicious braised chicken the other night, and it was incredibly easy - perfect for a weeknight meal!  To prepare:

Cut up five carrots into bite-sized chunks (the carrots I used were close to the same width along the whole length, but if yours are a lot thicker at one end, you should cut the pieces in half length-wise.

Cut up a large tomato into bite-sized chunks.

Put a 3.5 quart pot over medium/low heat, and thinly coat the bottom of the pan with canola oil and a little bit of butter.  When the oil gets hot, put two chicken thighs (or more! - you just want them to fit into the pan in a single layer), skin-side down, in the pan.  Cook until the chicken is nice and browned.  Flip the chicken over and brown on the other side.  (The chicken does not need to be cooked through at this point.)

(The piece of chicken on the left could definitely have been cooked more.)

Add the carrots to the pot.  Stir well to coat the carrots in the fat. 

Cook for a few minutes.  Add the tomatoes to the pot.

Add to the pot chicken stock to come halfway up the height of the chicken, along with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Allow the liquid to come to a simmer.  Cover the pot, turn down the heat so the liquid just maintains a simmer, and cook for about 45 minutes.

Check to make sure the carrots are tender, and if they are not, allow to cook for a little bit longer.

I served the chicken with baked sweet potatoes, but it would also be delicious over rice!

Enjoy!