Chicken, Tomato & White Bean Braise

Ingredients

• 8 bone-in chicken thighs, skin on
• salt and black pepper
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 x 400g tin white beans, drained and rinsed
• 2 x 400g tins chopped tomatoes
• 1 large onion, diced
• 4 garlic cloves, sliced
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 0.5 tsp chilli flakes
• 150 ml dry white wine
• 15g fresh basil, torn
• crusty sourdough bread, to serve

Method

1. Pat the chicken thighs bone-dry with kitchen paper — water means steam, and steam means no crackling skin. Season generously with salt and black pepper on both sides.
2. Heat the olive oil in a wide, deep lidded pan (stainless or cast iron, not non-stick — you want the stuck bits later) over medium-high heat. Lay the thighs skin-side down in a single layer with space between them. If your pan is tight, work in two batches: crowd the pan and the skin steams instead of crisping. Cook undisturbed for 8–10 minutes until the skin is deeply golden and lifts away cleanly. Flip for 2 minutes more, then transfer to a plate.
3. Pour off all but 1 tablespoon of the fat. Add the onion with a pinch of salt and cook for about 5 minutes over medium heat, until soft, translucent and just starting to catch at the edges.
4. Stir in the garlic, oregano, smoked paprika and chilli flakes. Bloom the spices in the warm oil for 30–60 seconds until fragrant — raw paprika tastes dusty, bloomed paprika tastes smoky and sweet. Watch the garlic: pale gold and fragrant is the target, don't let it brown or the whole sauce turns bitter.
5. Pour in the white wine and let it bubble hard for 2 minutes, scraping up every browned scrap from the base of the pan with a wooden spoon. Those scraps are the backbone of the sauce.
6. Tip in the chopped tomatoes and the white beans, then add a splash of water to the empty tomato tins, swirl, and pour that in too — the extra liquid lets the tomatoes break down into a proper sauce instead of tasting of tin. Bring to a gentle simmer and taste: season now with salt and pepper.
7. Nestle the chicken thighs back in skin-side up, leaving the crisp tops proud of the liquid so they stay crackly. Cover and simmer over medium-low for 25 minutes, until a thigh reads 75°C at the bone and the sauce has thickened around the beans.
8. Lift the lid for the final 5 minutes to firm the skin back up. Taste the sauce one more time — adjust salt and pepper now, at the pan, not at the table.
9. Tear the basil over the top, drizzle generously with extra virgin olive oil, and bring the pan to the table with crusty bread alongside for mopping the sauce.