Lately, I have been using lapsang tea to give a smokey depth to meats or poultry that aren’t headed for the pit. Sometimes I add a couple of tablespoons of the tea leaves to a marinade used before oven roasting or pan searing. For braising, I’ll steep a dark tea and add it to the pot. This easy braised chicken dish adds the aromatics and earthy wild yeast and tart apple of our signature CHAI & DRY sidra + tea blend.

Ingredients:

– 1 whole chicken broken down into 8-10 pieces – 3 tbsp. vegetable oil – Salt – Ground black pepper – 1 tbsp. ground coriander – 1 tbsp. ground ginger – Dash of Worcestershire sauce – Pot of strong lapsang tea – 1/2 med. onion minced – 3 med. garlic cloves minced – 12 oz. Ciders of Spain Chai & Dry

Preparation:

Heat oil to med. High in a large skillet. Salt and pepper the chicken pieces then brown all sides in the oil and remove to a plate. Reduce heat to med. low add the onions and garlic and sautée until translucent. Stir in coriander and ginger then add chicken pieces mixing them around to coat with flavorings in the pan. Pour in the cider and stir to settle any foam that may rise from the carbonated beverage. Add tea to bring the liquid level up to nearly cover the chicken. Bring to a simmer, cover, and cook for 45 minutes. Test chicken for done-ness with a fork and taste braising liquid. If the sauce is either too bitter or sharp, add a touch of your preferred sweetener to taste. You can thicken the pot liquor with cornstarch if desired. Serve chicken pieces with pot liquor.