Braised Chicken with Country Ham and Turnips with Their Greens
The two-step cooking process here yields perfectly moist and flavorful results: First, you put a nice sear on the chicken in a skillet. Next, you finish it off in the oven, slow-cooking it in a wonderful pot likker of seasonal vegetables and country ham. That’s it. Once you get the hang of this basic method, you can use it to make endless variations.
Recipe information
Yield
serves 4 to 6
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
Preheat the oven to 375°F.
Step 2
Rinse the chicken, pat dry, and remove any excess fat. Season all over with salt and pepper to taste. Lightly dust each piece, skin side only, with the flour.
Step 3
Heat the olive oil in a large ovenproof, nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until sizzling hot (see Know-how, page 100). Add the chicken and brown for about 5 minutes per side.
Step 4
Remove the chicken from the skillet to a plate and set aside. Add the turnips and ham and cook and stir for about 2 minutes, until the ham is slightly crispy. Add the garlic and cook and stir for 1 minute more. Add the broth and rosemary, scrape up all the brown bits from the bottom of the pan, and bring to a low boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and return the chicken to the skillet, skin side up, along with any juice that has collected in the bottom of the plate.
Step 5
Place the skillet in the oven to roast for about 30 minutes, basting the chicken with the cooking liquid several times, until cooked through and the juices run clear when the thickest part of the thigh is pierced with the tip of a small knife.
Step 6
Remove from the oven and transfer the chicken to a large serving platter, loosely covered to keep warm. Add the turnip greens to the skillet, place over medium heat, and cook and stir until just wilted and tender, 3 to 5 minutes. Arrange the turnips and greens around the chicken, spoon the broth and ham on top, and serve warm.
