19 Braising Recipes to Simmer All Day and Eat All Week
If you’re hanging around the house, there’s no reason to wait until the last minute to start dinner. These braising recipes reward a slow simmer, cozy in their (usually) covered pots. The hands-on time is minimal, but the gentle cooking yields luscious, supple results. You may think of braising as a technique for tenderizing tough cuts of meat—and that’s definitely one if its strong suits—but you’ll also find a few staff-favorite vegetarian options below. Scroll down for our go-to braising recipes, including dinner-party-worthy main courses and big-batch cooking ideas that’ll set you up for an easy week ahead.
Photo by Elena Heatherwick1/19Confit Tandoori Chickpeas
We promise plenty of meaty recipes below, but it’s worth remembering that not all braising recipes start with a big hunk of pork or pot roast. For this low-effort meal, Yotam Ottolenghi spices canned chickpeas with ginger, cumin, coriander, and turmeric, adds tomatoes, chiles, tomato paste, and good glug of olive oil, and lets it all braise, covered, in the oven. There’s a reason it has become a staple among our staff.
Photo by Evan Sung3/19One-Pan Crispy Braised Chicken and Fennel Pasta
The chicken thighs peek out from the braising liquid here, so they get perfectly tender underneath and crispy on top. You’ll cook the whole wheat pasta right in the braising liquid to add deep flavor.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Lillian Chou7/19Braised Butternut Squash in Spiced Coconut Gravy
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Micah Marie Morton8/19Chaozhou Flavor-Potted Tofu
The spiced braising broth in this recipe can be strained and cooked with again and again, replenished with stock, soy sauce, or water. Sometimes it’s even passed down, generation to generation.
Photo by Quentin Bacon9/19Braised Chicken With Olives and Citrus
A cup of fresh orange juice adds just a touch of sweetness to these tender chicken legs. Top with fresh cilantro and serve on a mountain of couscous.
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Beatrice Chastka, Food Styling by Frances Boswell10/19Braised Leeks, Peas, and Lettuce
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Olivia Mack Anderson13/19Slow-Cooked Pork With Chickpeas
Yes, you need a full afternoon to let this pork and chickpea combo gently cook. But that just means your house will smell amazing for all of that time.
Photo by Michael Graydon & Nikole Herriott14/19Stock-Braised Turkey Legs
You don’t need to roast a whole bird to enjoy a turkey dinner—and in fact, you may find that you never want to do that again once you try this melty, tender rendition.
Photograph by Isa Zapata, food styling by Pearl Jones and Thu Buser, prop styling by Sean Dooley17/19Orange-Wine-Braised Chicken Thighs
Photograph by Isa Zapata, food styling by Judy Kim, prop styling by Gerri Williams18/19Pork Adobo Pull-Apart Sliders
Photograph by Isa Zapata, food styling by Pearl Jones and Thu Buser, prop styling by Sean Dooley19/19Sake-and-Soy-Braised Pork Belly
