Braised Chicken Thighs with Fig Leaves

Fig leaves are used in cooking to flavour foods such as meat, cheese or desserts, to make fig leaf tea, flavoured sugar, liqueurs, syrup or oil or used as wrappers for fish. They are also traditionally used in baths to relieve rheumatic complaints and muscle tension. The distinctive flavour and aroma are reminiscent of toasted coconut and vanilla with a hint of green tea. In this recipe, I used a bouquet garni made with fresh fig leaves, spring onion gruns and coriander stems to infuse that coconuty vanilla flavour into the chicken thighs. If you have access to fresh fig leaves, then just use a traditional bouquet garni with a bay leaf, parsley stalks and a few sprigs of thyme together with a a strip of leek or celery. It’s not exactly the same thing, but delicious all the same.


4-5 Fig leaves 2 Spring onions, green parts only 1 bunch Coriander, stems only 8 Chicken thighs, skin-on, bone-in 2 tbsp Olive oil 1l Chicken stock 4 Garlic cloves, smashed Sea salt Salad of your choice, to serve (I used quinoa salad)

Preheat the oven to 160C/320F. Wrap the spring onion greens and coriander stems in the layered fig leaves and tie tightly with kitchen string to form a bundle.
Pat dry the chicken thighs. Heat a large ovenproof pan. Pour in olive oil and place the chicken skin-side down and brown the chicken thighs for about 8 minutes until the skin forms a golden crust. Do this in batches if necessary. Remove chicken and leave about 1 tablespoon of fat in the pan.
Add the chicken stock and loosen the browned bits with a wooden spoon. Add the fig leaf bouquet, crushed garlic cloves and sea salt to your taste. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat. Return the chicken thighs to the pan and layer them so that they all fit and are about halfway submerged in the stock (the crispy skin should not be covered by liquid).
Cook in the oven for about 1 hour until the meat falls off the bone. Sprinkle with chopped coriander leaves and serve with your favourite salad.

27 comments:

DEZMOND 7/10/25 13:13: Are you preparing your fig tree for the winter and getting rid of its leaves?
Benita James 7/10/25 14:56: I can say that chicken thigh is well seasoned and looks really juicy.
Lola Martínez 7/10/25 15:14: Le sacas mucho partido a las hojas de higuera, yo no las utilizo nada, pero me copiaré de tu receta.
foodtravelandwine 7/10/25 15:20: It looks tender and so delicious!!.....Abrazotes, Marcela
Tom 7/10/25 15:29: ...Angie, another chicken work of art!
eileeninmd 7/10/25 17:41: Another yummy chicken recipe, thanks Angie!
Take care, have a great day!
Anne in the kitchen 7/10/25 17:52: I do not have a fig tree, but several of my neighbors do. I might have to mosey by their house and see if they might let me have a few.
Pam 7/10/25 17:55: Great combination of flavors!
Brian's Home Blog 7/10/25 19:12: Totally delicous I'm sure!!!
Linda's Relaxing Lair 7/10/25 19:54: Beautiful colours and presentations!
Bill 7/10/25 21:15: Looks fantastic!
Lowcarb team member 7/10/25 23:33: Those chicken thighs look great.

All the best Jan
J.P. Alexander 8/10/25 00:53: Rico pollo. Te mando un beso y gracias por la receta.
Anonymous 8/10/25 05:56: This sounds delicious. I didn't know that fig leaves were good for aches and pains. I might pick some leaves today for a bath later.
Tandy (Lavender and Lime) https://tandysinclair.com
Margaret D 8/10/25 07:12: Looking good, Angie.
Ananka 8/10/25 11:56: Looks interesting :-D
MELODY JACOB 8/10/25 16:10: Your dishes are always so mouthwatering. Every time I read your blog, it makes me want to get in the kitchen and start cooking. Thanks for always sharing your delicious recipes.
speedy70 8/10/25 16:50: Mai pensato alle foglie di fico, grazie!!!
Raymund | angsarap.net 9/10/25 00:15: Absolutely fascinating use of fig leaves! The coconut-vanilla aroma sounds incredible with the chicken, definitely adding this to my recipe list.
Anonymous 9/10/25 02:31: Another great use of fig leaves. I’ll attack our neighbors tree to make this! Thanks ~ David (C&L)
Diane 9/10/25 09:33: Interesting recipe and no shortage of fig leaves here. Thanks for this recipe. Keep well, Diane
Eva Taylor 9/10/25 13:30: I've never heard of using fig leaves as a seasoning, interesting. I don't even know if we can buy them here. I will have to look into this, thank you.
Anonymous 9/10/25 18:39: Love this! I’ve never used fig leaves in cooking. Grape leaves and banana leaves yes. Maybe I should buy a fig tree!
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Carol @Comfort Spring Station 9/10/25 19:39: It looks so good.
sherry 10/10/25 12:38: I love a good chicken thigh! No fig leaves in my garden tho ...
🇺🇸Baking with Nessa🇺🇸 10/10/25 18:49: Thank you for this sharing this recipe. I have cooked with vine leaves back home in Crete before but I have never thought about fig leaves. We have a big fig treat down the road from us, so I'll save it for next Summer. Cheers, ~Nessa
The Velvet Runway 11/10/25 16:06: I love the idea of seasoning with fig leaves.
Julia x