Southern Braised Chicken With Black Eyed Peas

This recipe is easy, delicious, nutritious and budget friendly. Win, win, win, win! Jason first cooked this recipe for me shortly after we met, saying it was a family classic. His mom had cut the recipe out of a magazine years ago. At first I thought the ingredients sounded like an odd combination, but when I took a bite… who knew such simple flavors could come together so perfectly?! And the chicken is fall off the bone tender when it’s braised for a while. Like my Mediterranean Braised Chicken and Chicken Provençal, this one just melts in your mouth. This is one we keep coming back to. It’s especially cozy when the temperatures start to drop. Give it a try, it might become one of your family favorites too!

Ingredients for our Southern Braised Chicken

Chicken – We always use bone-in thighs, but leg quarters or a whole cut up chicken would work too. Bacon – It makes everything taste better! Veggies – Cabbage, carrots and mushrooms. Chicken broth Thyme Black eyed peas

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How to make this Southern Braised Chicken recipe

First, fry up your bacon in a braiser or dutch oven, or if you happen to have one, an electric skillet. Once it’s done, remove it to a plate. Brown up the chicken a bit on the skin side, about 6-8 minutes, then flip and cook 2-3 more minutes. Remove to a plate. Deglaze the pan with chicken broth, stir in the carrots, mushrooms, thyme and broken up bacon. Nestle the chicken, skin side up, into the mixture. Cover and cook an hour to an hour and a quarter, adding in the cabbage and black eyed peas with about half an hour remaining.

Serving Southern Braised Chicken

We almost always have this with biscuits, they go so well with it. It would also go great with some nice crusty bread like my no-knead bread, or even over a pile of rice.

Variations

Play with your veggies. The original recipe from the magazine did not call for mushrooms, but we love the addition. We can see some bell peppers, potatoes, sweet potatoes, green peas or green beans going great. Or, swap the cabbage for some other green, like spinach, kale or turnip greens. Try different beans. How about cannellini or any other type of white beans? Use different herbs. This can really change the flavor of the dish. Try rosemary or Italian seasoning. Or, give it a bit of kick with some crushed red chili flakes. Replace the bacon with ham. Equally delicious, but different.

Storing leftovers

This one makes great leftovers. Refrigerate in an airtight container for 3-4 days. Simply reheat on stovetop with a splash of extra water. You can also freeze it in an airtight container. For best quality, use within 2-3 months. Give this Southern Braised Chicken with black eyed peas a try this winter. You just may come back to it year round like us! When you try it, please leave a star rating and a comment, I love hearing from you! Pin or bookmark this great recipe so you always know where to find it. And be sure to subscribe to GypsyPlate, we’re always cooking up new easy recipes for you!