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Chicken and choucroute garnie

By: Claire Thomson

Published: 5 Feb 24
Updated: 25 Mar 24

Claire Thomson takes the traditional Alsatian dish choucroute garnie – sauerkraut cooked with wine, sausages, salted meats and caraway seeds – and transforms it into a comforting one-pot chicken dinner. She says: “I add a big dollop of crème fraîche at the end, enjoying the creamy depth it brings to the finished dish.”

Next time: Try Claire’s sensational chicken dauphinoise.

Recipe taken from One Pan Chicken by Claire Thomson (Quadrille £20) and tested by delicious.

Easy
February 2024

Test kitchen approved

Serves 4
Hands-on time 40 min. Simmering time 20-25 min

Next time: Try Claire’s sensational chicken dauphinoise.

Recipe taken from One Pan Chicken by Claire Thomson (Quadrille £20) and tested by delicious.

Gluten-free recipes

Nutrition: Per serving

Calories: 633kcals
Fat: 46g (16g saturated)
Protein: 34g
Carbohydrates: 7.7g (6.3g sugars)
Fibre: 4.4g
Salt: 3.3g

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Ingredients

1kg free-range chicken thighs, legs or drumsticks
2 tbsp olive oil
100g outdoor reared smoked streaky bacon, finely chopped
30g unsalted butter
1 large carrot, finely chopped
1 large onion, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
500g jar sauerkraut, drained
300ml chicken stock
250ml white wine (ideally a riesling or pinot gris)
2 bay leaves, scrunched a little
4 juniper berries, roughly bashed or squashed
2 tsp caraway seeds, roughly crushed
2 star anise
4 tbsp crème fraîche (optional)
½ small bunch flatleaf parsley, leaves picked and finely chopped
French mustard to serve

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Method

Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a casserole over a medium heat. Add the chicken, skin-side down, and cook for around 5 minutes until golden brown but not yet cooked through. Flip and cook for another 5 minutes to brown on the other side, then transfer to a plate, reserving the fat in the pan.
Add the bacon and gently fry until crisp and very lightly coloured; 3-5 minutes should do. Add the butter, carrot and onion, then cook for around 10 minutes over a low-medium heat until softened and sweet. Add the garlic and cook for 2 minutes more until fragrant. Add the sauerkraut and stir well.
Add the stock, wine, bay, juniper, caraway and star anise, then nestle the chicken thighs back into the sauerkraut. Cover with a sheet of baking paper (if you like, cut it into a circle – known as a cartouche – just larger than the pan) and put a lid on the pan.

Braise the chicken for 20–25 minutes until all the liquid in the pan has been absorbed and the chicken is fully cooked through. Finish by checking the seasoning, adding salt and pepper to taste. Stir in the crème fraîche (if using) and strew with the parsley. Serve with mustard.