Braised lemon caper chicken

I’ll take a chicken thigh over a breast any day, but if you do prefer breasts, braising gives you your best shot at keeping them moist. Liberally season your chicken with salt and pepper, dust with flour, brown on both sides over high heat in an ovenproof skillet and then set aside.

Turn down the heat to medium and add five chopped garlic cloves to the pan, saute for a minute and then pour in two cups of chicken stock and bring back to a simmer. Stir in two tablespoons each of lemon zest and coarsely chopped capers and let it cook for another couple of minutes. Return the chicken to the pan and bake in the oven for 30 to 45 minutes at 350 degrees depending on the cut and size of your chicken.

To thicken the sauce, set the chicken to the side and return the pan to the stove and boil lightly for a few minutes. You could add some cannellini beans at this point, too, if you want. Salt and pepper to taste, stir in some chopped parsley and then pour the thickened sauce over the chicken.