Braised Chicken with Orange and Olives
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
4 chicken legs (about 2 pounds)
Kosher salt
1 large onion, chopped
1 ⁄2 cups low-sodium
1 chicken stock
1 cup pitted green olives, roughly chopped
3 long, wide strips orange zest, white pith cut away
1⁄2 cup fresh orange juice
1 tablespoon dried juniper berries (optional)
1 fresh thyme sprig or 1⁄2 teaspoon dried thyme
Preheat oven to 350 degress and position an oven rack in the upper third.
Heat oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium heat until it shimmers. Pat chicken dry with paper towels, then season generously with salt. Cook chicken skin-side down, without messing with it much, until skin is golden brown, 8 to 10 minutes. Flip and brown the other side, about 3 minutes. Transfer chicken to a plate.
Add onion to pan, occasionally stirring and scraping up any browned bits, and cook until golden at the edges, about 8 minutes. Add stock, olives, orange zest, orange juice, juniper berries (if using) and thyme. Return chicken to pan, skin-side up, along with any juices left on the plate. (Ideally the liquid will come about halfway up the sides of the chicken, but don’t sweat it if not.) Bring the liquid to a simmer and then roast in preheated oven, uncovered, until chicken is tender and skin is brown and crisp, about 45 minutes. (Kass writes: I like to broil it for the last few minutes to get the skin extra-crispy.) Season the sauce with salt to taste, though it may not need any.