Brine-Braised Chicken Thighs With Kale and Avocado Recipe

Step 1

Heat the oven to 400 degrees.

Step 2

Season the chicken thighs all over with pepper, then arrange skin side up in a 2 ½-quart shallow baking dish wide enough for there to be a little room between each thigh. Scatter the olives around the chicken and then pour their brine over everything. Using a vegetable peeler, remove the zest from the lemon in strips and scatter them around the chicken. Chop the lemon into 1/2-inch pieces, discarding any seeds, then scatter them around the chicken as well. Drizzle everything with the olive oil.

Step 3

Bake the chicken until cooked through and the skin is golden brown on top, about 1 hour.

Step 4

Remove the dish from the oven and immediately transfer the chicken pieces to a plate. Stir the kale into the aromatics in the dish, then return the chicken pieces to the dish on top of the wilting greens. Use a spoon to drop chunks of avocado over the chicken and kale and season with salt, if you like.