Braised Chicken Thighs in Tomato Sauce

Cooking method

1. Step 1:

   

   How do you braise chicken thighs in a skillet? Gather all your ingredients. If your chicken is frozen, thaw it first. Remove any leftover feathers from the thighs, rinse the meat, and pat it dry with paper towels. There should be no excess moisture on the chicken — this really matters. Sprinkle both sides of the thighs with a little salt and rub it in evenly across all the pieces.

2. Step 2:

   

   Peel the onion and garlic, rinse them, and pat dry.

3. Step 3:

   

   Heat the vegetable oil in a deep skillet with high sides. Add the thighs. Over high heat, cook the chicken until a golden, appetizing crust forms, then flip the pieces and fry for about 2–3 minutes, until the other side browns too. Transfer the thighs to a separate plate.

4. Step 4:

   

   To the same skillet, add the coarsely diced onion and roughly chopped garlic. Cook, stirring constantly, for about a minute or two, until the onion softens and turns fragrant.

5. Step 5:

   

   Add the tomato paste, soy sauce, a blend of ground peppers (or just ground black pepper), sugar, and salt to the onion. You can also add your favorite spices to taste at this point.

6. Step 6:

   

   Stir the cornstarch into 1/4 cup of water. Pour the remaining water and the dissolved cornstarch into the skillet. Mix everything well, bring to a boil, and let it cook for a minute or two.

7. Step 7:

   

   Return the browned chicken thighs to the sauce. Stir so the meat is fully coated in the tomato gravy, spooning some over each thigh if needed. Once it comes back to a boil, lower the heat to its lowest setting, cover the skillet, and simmer until the chicken is cooked through (35–40 minutes).

8. Step 8:

   

   Sprinkle the finished dish with finely chopped fresh herbs.

9. Step 9:

   

   Done — time to serve!