Chicken with Vinegar
Every home in France has a version of this rustic dish—now my home in New York does as well. I love how the vinegar infuses the chicken with a rich tanginess. Be sure to have some good bread on hand to sop up the sauce.
Recipe information
Yield
Serves 4
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
To cut up a whole chicken, start by cutting the wings off through the wing joints, keeping the drumettes on the body. Cut off the wing tips and save for stock. Pull a drumstick away from the body and slice through the skin connecting it to the body, then along the backbone and through the hip joint to remove the thigh. Repeat on the other side. To separate the drumsticks from the thighs, cut through the joint connecting them. Remove the drumette with a portion of the breast: On one thick side of one breast, start cutting about 2 inches above the drumette at a 45-degree angle to the breastbone down through the joint connecting the drumette. Repeat on the other side. Stand the carcass upright, wishbone down. Cut off the breasts—while keeping them on the bone—by cutting through the rib cage. Save the back for stock. Cut the breasts crosswise through the breastbone into 2 even pieces, about the same size as the thighs.
Step 2
Heat a large Dutch oven or pot over high heat until hot. Generously season the chicken pieces with salt and pepper. Add the oil and 2 tablespoons of the butter to the pot. When the butter melts, add the chicken skin side down, dark-meat pieces first, along with the garlic. Don’t crowd the pot; work in batches if necessary. Cook, undisturbed, until the skin is golden brown and releases easily from the pan, about 5 minutes. Flip and cook until the other side is browned, about 2 minutes longer. Transfer to a plate.
Step 3
Add the thyme, bay leaves, wine, and vinegar to the Dutch oven. Bring the mixture to a boil over high heat. Return all of the chicken to the pot and cover. Reduce the heat to medium-high and cook the breast pieces for 10 minutes or until cooked through. Transfer to a plate. Cook the dark-meat pieces for 7 minutes longer or until the meat pulls away from the bone. Transfer to the same plate.
Step 4
While the chicken cooks, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons butter in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Just before the butter melts, add the shallots and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden, about 2 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes and tomato paste and season with salt and pepper. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until saucy, about 20 minutes.
Step 5
After removing the chicken, continue simmering the juices in the Dutch oven until reduced slightly, about 5 minutes. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve into the tomato mixture.
Step 6
Return the chicken to the Dutch oven in a single layer. Pour the tomato sauce over. Bring to a boil over high heat, then remove from the heat. Add the herbs. Cover and let stand for 20 minutes before serving.
note
Step 7
To peel and seed a tomato, cut a slit in the bottom. Drop the tomato into rapidly boiling water. Heat for 10 seconds or until the skin starts to curl away from the slit. Remove with a slotted spoon and let sit until cool enough to handle. Starting from the slit, peel off the skin. Cut the tomato in half through its equator, then remove the seeds with your fingers.
