Braised Collard Greens with Garlic and Vinegar
Collard greens braised slowly with onion, plenty of garlic, chile flakes, and bone broth until silky, then sharpened with cider vinegar.
Why you'll love Braised Collard Greens with Garlic and Vinegar
Collards are a winter green, and they taste best after a frost, when the cold turns some of their starch to sugar and softens their bite. In the South a pot of them braising on the stove is part of New Year's Day, and they are worth making all season. Here they cook slowly in olive oil with onion, a whole lot of garlic, chile flakes, and chicken bone broth until they turn dark, silky, and tender, and a splash of cider vinegar at the end wakes everything up.
Collard leaves are thick and sturdy, and that is why they want a long, gentle braise. Forty-five minutes covered in barely simmering broth breaks down the tough fibers so the leaves go from leathery to buttery while still holding their shape. The vinegar waits until the end because acid slows the softening of vegetable fibers, so added early it would keep the greens tough, and added late it stays bright and sharp.
The broth left in the pot is called pot likker, and it is the best part: savory, garlicky, and full of everything the greens gave up as they cooked. Spoon it over the greens on the plate, or sip it from a cup alongside. Serve the collards next to roast chicken, pork, or a piece of fish.
Quick overview: This Braised Collard Greens with Garlic and Vinegar takes 15 min of hands-on time and about 1 hr 15 min in all and makes 6 servings, each about 3/4 cup with pot likker. You'll need a dutch oven.
Ingredients
- 2 large bunches collard greens (about 2 lb)
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1 medium onion, thinly sliced
- 8 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
- 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
- 2 cups chicken bone broth Label: chicken bones, water, vegetables, herbs, and salt, with no sugar, natural flavors, or oil
- 3/4 tsp fine sea salt
- 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar, plus more to serve
- 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Wash the greens: Fill a clean sink or a large bowl with cold water, plunge in the collard leaves, and swish them around. Lift them out, drain the water, and repeat until no grit settles at the bottom. Collards grow close to the ground and hold sand in their creases.
- Strip and slice: Cut the thick center stem out of each leaf with a knife. Stack several leaves, roll them up like a cigar, and slice them crosswise into 1-inch ribbons. The stems stay woody long after the leaves are tender, so they come out.
- Soften the onion and garlic: Heat the olive oil in a Dutch oven or other heavy pot over medium heat. Add the onion and cook for 6 to 8 minutes, stirring, until soft and golden at the edges. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and stir for 1 to 2 minutes, until the garlic is fragrant and just turning pale gold.
- Wilt the greens: Add the collards by the handful, turning them with tongs as each batch wilts to make room for the next. It looks like far too much at first, and the leaves cook down to about a quarter of their volume.
- Braise: Pour in the broth, add the salt, and bring it to a simmer. Cover, lower the heat so the liquid barely bubbles, and braise for 45 minutes, stirring once or twice, until the leaves are dark green, silky, and tender enough to cut with a fork. Taste a piece; if it still feels chewy, give it another 10 minutes.
- Finish with vinegar: Stir in the vinegar and black pepper and simmer uncovered for 2 minutes. Taste and add more salt or a little more vinegar if you like.
- Serve: Serve the greens with plenty of the pot likker spooned over, with the vinegar on the table for anyone who wants more.
Storage and leftovers
Cool the greens in their liquid and refrigerate them in a sealed container within 2 hours, for up to 5 days. They taste even better the second day, once the garlic and vinegar settle into the leaves.
Freeze the greens with their pot likker for up to 3 months. Thaw them overnight in the refrigerator and reheat them in a saucepan over medium heat until steaming.
Variations
- Mixed greens: Use a mix of collards, mustard greens, and kale. Mustard greens and kale soften faster, so add them for the last 20 minutes.
- With fresh pork: Brown 1/2 lb of fresh ground pork in the pot before the onion, and leave it in for a heartier side.
- Spicier: Add a sliced fresh jalapeño with the garlic and serve with a few drops of a hot sauce whose label reads only peppers, vinegar, and salt.
- Tomato: Stir 1 tablespoon of tomato paste in with the garlic for a deeper, rounder pot likker.
Notes and tips
- Buy more than looks right: Two pounds of raw collards fill a sink and cook down to about six servings. Look for leaves that are deep green and firm, with no yellowing.
- Keep the simmer gentle: A hard boil breaks the leaves apart and cooks off the pot likker. You want small, lazy bubbles under the lid.
- Slice the garlic: Thin slices of garlic soften and sweeten in the long braise, where minced garlic would cook away to nothing.
- Check the broth label: It should read chicken bones, water, vegetables, herbs, and salt, with no sugar or natural flavors.
Nutrition and mindful eating
- Collard greens are a cruciferous vegetable, rich in vitamin K, vitamin A, folate, and calcium, along with plenty of fiber.
- The long braise softens the leaves' fibers and leaves the vitamins that move into the liquid in the pot likker, which is one reason to eat the broth along with the greens.
- Olive oil is the real fat here, and it helps your body absorb the fat-soluble vitamins A and K in the greens.
- Garlic and vinegar bring big flavor, so the greens need only a modest amount of salt.
- As you eat, notice the silky leaves, the bite of garlic, and the sharp vinegar, and check in after the meal: a plate with a big serving of greens beside your protein should leave you comfortably full for hours, with energy that stays even.
Frequently asked questions
Have a question about this Braised Collard Greens with Garlic and Vinegar? Start here, with the questions people ask most.
What is pot likker?
It is the savory broth left in the pot after greens braise, full of their flavor and many of their vitamins. In the South it is sipped from a cup or spooned over the greens.
Can I make them in a slow cooker?
Yes. Soften the onion and garlic in a skillet, then put everything but the vinegar in a slow cooker and cook on low for 4 to 5 hours, until tender. Stir in the vinegar before serving.
Do I need to remove the stems?
Yes. The thick center stems stay woody long after the leaves are tender. Thin stems near the tip of the leaf can stay.
Are collards safe if I take a blood thinner?
Collards are very high in vitamin K, which affects how warfarin works. If you take warfarin, talk with your doctor or dietitian before adding them, and keep the amount of leafy greens you eat steady from week to week.
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