RECIPE TEST RUN: Meyer Lemon Braised Chicken by Williams Sonoma

TasteTV tested a recipe for Meyer Lemon Braised Chicken using Williams Sonoma Meyer Lemon Braising Sauce.

We found that with a few creative tweaks and additions to give it that fresh California style , this recipe became a 5-star meal.

Williams Sonoma Version

Ingredients:

2 Tbs. olive oil
1 bunch baby carrots, trimmed
1 lb. (500 g) new potatoes, halved
1 chicken, about 4 lb. (2 kg), cut into 8 pieces
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 jar Meyer lemon braising sauce
Lemon halves for garnish (optional)

Directions:

Preheat an oven to 350°F (180°C).

In a Dutch oven over medium-high heat, warm the olive oil. Add the carrots and cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly colored, 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer the carrots to a platter. In the same pot, add the potatoes and cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned, 4 to 6 minutes. Transfer to the platter with the carrots.

Season the chicken with salt and pepper. In the same pot, working in batches, brown the chicken on all sides, 8 to 10 minutes per batch. Return all the chicken to the pot and add the carrots, potatoes and braising sauce. Cover the pot, transfer to the oven and cook until the chicken is fork-tender, about 1 hour. Skim the fat off the sauce, garnish with lemon halves and serve. Serves 4 to 6 people.

TasteTV Version

Ingredients:

2 Tbs. olive oil
1 bunch mixed assortment baby carrots, trimmed
1 bunch of green beans or snap peas (here, we used French green beans, aka Haricot Verts)
4-5 pieces chicken thighs
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 jar Meyer lemon braising sauce
1 can of Great Northern white beans

*TasteTV changes to the ingredients

We followed the official recipe, but made a few changes. First, we browned the chicken thighs in a dutch oven (Le Creuset) until brown on both sides. We used skinless, boneless chicken thighs because once cooked we easily could split them in half or in fourths to extend the amount of meat per serving.

Instead of cooking the vegetables first and then removing them to brown the chicken, we sautéed the vegetables we selected in a separate sauce pan (with olive oil).

We cooked them for around 10 minutes to get them started before the next step.

Add the vegetables into the dutch oven with the chicken.

Next, add the Williams Sonoma Meyer Lemon Braising Sauce.

Before covering, stir all ingredients together, then add a can of Great Northern white beans. You can of course use uncanned beans that have been soaked, but that’s not part of this recipe.

Cover the dutch oven with the lid and cook per the recipe. It helps to stir occasionally to keep the beans from browning and sticking to the bottom of the pan.