These red wine oven-braised chicken thighs yield tender, juicy chicken and melt-in-your-mouth potatoes and carrots. Prep the ingredients ahead of time, and this rustic one-pan dinner can be ready in about one hour.
For more chicken recipes, try these vinegar chicken thighs or the best chicken quesadilla recipe.
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Quick Look: Red Wine Oven-Braised Chicken Thighs
⏱️ Prep Time: 20 minutes
🍳 Cook Time: 55 minutes
🕒 Total Time: 1 hour, 15 minutes
👥 Servings: 4
📊 Calories: ~264 kcal per serving (based on nutrition panel)
🔥 Cook Method: Stovetop, then oven-based
👩🍳 Main Ingredients: Chicken thighs, potatoes, carrots
⭐ Difficulty: Easy: begin on stovetop, finish in oven
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FEATURED REVIEW
"Excellent dish. Followed completely, except for fresh thyme. Company worthy, delicious, and easy---my favorite combination!"
-Pam
Why You'll Love Red Wine Oven-Braised Chicken Thighs
Everything cooks in one pan: Enjoy an entire meal---protein + vegetables---in just one pan.
Lots of flavor happening here: Between the onions, garlic, red wine, and chicken stock, the chicken and vegetables have plenty to absorb.
Creates a nice "sauce/gravy": Some braised chicken recipes have thinner sauces, but this one is thicker due to adding less liquid, more flour, and full-bodied red wine, creating a lovely sauce to pour over the chicken.
Like grill pan chicken thighs, these red wine oven-braised chicken thighs are almost as easy as baking or roasting a bird.
Browning chicken thighs first builds a flavorful fond in the pan, which dissolves into the red wine and becomes the base of the braising sauce.
Unlike stovetop braised chicken thighs, oven braising uses more steady heat that prevents scorching and creates a thicker sauce with minimal supervision.
Ingredient-Stretching Tip: Don't throw away those extra carrots! Use them for this Italian lentil soup, turkey orzo soup, or pasta e fagioli with sausage.
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Key Ingredients
See the recipe card for full ingredient and quantity information.
- Bone-In, Skin-On Chicken Thighs: Don't use boneless, skinless thighs for this recipe. You need the skin to allow the thighs to brown properly without drying out, and the bone-in, skin-on adds more flavor here.
- Red Wine: This will help add body and depth of flavor to the dish. Use a red wine with low to moderate tannins, such as Pinot Noir or Cabernet Sauvignon, which are less bitter.
- All-Purpose Flour: AP flour is important for thickening the liquid and creating a more luxurious "sauce."
- Low-Sodium Chicken Stock or Broth: You can use vegetable stock if that's all you have, but chicken stock/broth is more appropriate for this chicken recipe. Do not use water for the liquid!
Variations & Substitutions
➢Replace the thighs with chicken legs (drumsticks) or breasts.
➢Add any vegetables you like, but steer clear of ones that could easily turn mushy, like zucchini.
➢Use any mix of dried/fresh herbs you like (e.g., rosemary, tarragon, etc.).
➢Add as much---or as little---garlic as you like!
➢If you don't have red wine, you can use white, like Pinot Grigio.
➢If you don't have any wine, use a bit of extra stock (just know the flavor will be different).
How to Make Red Wine Oven-Braised Chicken Thighs
Step 1: Brown the chicken on both sides, then transfer it to a plate.
Step 2: Add the potatoes, carrots, thyme, salt, and pepper, and cook until the vegetables begin to color.
Step 3: Add the onions and garlic and cook until they soften a bit.
Step 4: Pour in the wine and simmer it to reduce.
Step 5: Add the flour and stir to cook out the raw flavor.
Step 6: Pour in the stock, bring to a high simmer, and re-add the chicken. Cover the pan, transfer it to the oven, and cook the chicken for 35 minutes.
Pro Tips
➢Remove some potatoes from the pan, if needed: If the pan seems a little crowded after adding the chicken back in, simply remove a few potatoes. But your pan can probably handle slight overcrowding, as the veggies should finish cooking easily in the stock.
➢Reduce the liquid at the end, if necessary: If the sauce is too thin for your liking after the chicken has finished cooking, remove the chicken and veggies from the pan and simmer the stock/wine mixture for a few minutes on the stovetop until it reaches the desired consistency.
➢Prep ingredients in advance: Cut all the vegetables beforehand to shorten your workload at dinnertime. Submerge the potatoes completely in cold water and refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 24 hours.
➢Don't use boneless, skinless chicken thighs: The chicken skin helps flavor the veggies, and bone-in thighs can cook longer in the oven without drying out. Use boneless/skinless thighs for this red wine vinegar chicken.
➢Nestle the thighs on top of the veggies: This will help prevent the thighs from drying out in the oven.
Red Wine Oven-Braised Chicken Thighs FAQs
In this recipe, you brown the thighs first, then finish cooking them in the oven, covered, to help prevent the chicken from drying out.
You can substitute with (bone-in, skin-on) drumsticks or (bone-in, skin-on) breasts. Adjust the cook time, as drumsticks usually cook faster than thighs, and chicken breasts take longer. Use about 6 drumsticks, 3 large breasts, or 4 smaller breasts.
Chicken stock or broth is best because of the similar flavor profile. I recommend using low-sodium so you can control the amount of salt in the recipe.
Refrigerator: Store in an airtight container and consume within 3 days.
Freezer: You can freeze this, but it may not reheat too well.
Reheat: Reheat these braised chicken thighs in an oven-safe pan, covered, at 350F until heated through. You can also microwave them.
Related Recipes
If you love this recipe, please take a moment to review it below. You could also tag me on Instagram (@forcarbssake) with a picture of your finished dish!
Red Wine Oven-Braised Chicken Thighs
Ingredients
- 4 to 6 chicken thighs bone-in, skin-on
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 4 yellow potatoes small to medium sized, skin-on, and cut into 1" to 1 and ½" cubes
- 6 carrots small to medium-sized, peeled, sliced down the center lengthwise, and cut into 1 and ½" pieces
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- Ground black pepper
- 1 yellow onion peeled and sliced julienne into ¼" strips
- 4 garlic cloves peeled and sliced, minced, or left whole
- ½ cup dry red wine (Note 1)
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup low-sodium chicken stock or broth
- Handful Italian flat-leaf parsley minced
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F.
- Remove any excess moisture from the chicken by blotting it with a paper towel. Sprinkle both sides of the chicken generously with salt and pepper.
- Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a large pan or skillet (cast iron is best). Add the chicken thighs skin side down, and cook for 4-6 minutes until the skin turns golden brown. Move the chicken slightly in the pan every 2 minutes to encourage even browning.
- Turn the thighs over and brown the other side for 3-4 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a plate.
- Add the potatoes, carrots, and thyme to the pan, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and cook the vegetables until they turn golden, 5-10 minutes, stirring occasionally so they cook evenly and don't burn.
- Add the onions and garlic once the potatoes and carrots start to brown, cooking until they also soften a bit and turn color.
- Pour in the wine, toss with the vegetables and simmer for 2 minutes. Add the flour and stir it into the vegetables for about 2 minutes to cook off the raw taste and allow it to develop some flavor. Don't let it burn.
- Pour in the chicken stock, bring to a high simmer, and add the chicken back to the pan. Remove from the heat and place the pan in the oven on the bottom rack, covered, and cook for 35-40 minutes. If you don't have a proper lid for your pan, use aluminum foil.
- Remove the pan from the oven, and garnish the chicken with fresh parsley. Enjoy!
Notes
- Don't use boneless/skinless thighs in the recipe. They'll dry out.
- If you're only using 4 chicken thighs, 35 minutes should be enough cooking time, but it may take longer if you're using 6.
- Place the thighs on top of some of the vegetables to help prevent them from drying out.
- If the pan seems too crowded, remove a few potatoes, even though a slightly overcrowded pan should be fine.
- If you want a thicker sauce, remove the chicken and vegetables from the pan after they've finished cooking, and simmer the sauce on the stovetop for a few minutes until it reaches the desired consistency.
Nutrition
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I'm always looking for different but uncomplicated ways to make chicken, and this is definitely one of them. The recipe is so rustic and hearty. Love it!
Excellent dish. Followed completely- except fresh thyme. Company worthy. Delicious. And easy - my favorite combination!
Hi Pam,
Thank you for your feedback, and I'm happy to hear you loved it!