Poulet au vinaigre (chicken in vinegar)

Herald on Sunday 30/9/2011

Grant Allen

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Serves 6

I recommend using an excellent red wine vinegar such as the beautiful mellow Mass Portell Merlot vinegar I bought at Sabato, which stocks an amazing range of gourmet vinegars.

Ingredients

6	Chicken thighs, skin on and bone in or out according to your taste
1 to taste	Salt & freshly ground pepper
2 tbsp	Butter, 1 for browning the chicken and the second for the sauce
⅔ cup	Red wine vinegar
⅓ cup	Water
3	Garlic cloves, sliced
1 tbsp	Tomato paste
1 to taste	Salt & freshly ground pepper
½ handful	Fresh parsley, finely chopped

Directions

Season skin-on chicken thighs (bone in or out to your taste) with salt and pepper.
Brown in melted sizzling butter. Transfer the chicken to a baking dish. Add ¹/³ cup red wine vinegar and ¹/³ cup of water. Scrape all the pan residue into the liquid and pour over the chicken.
Cover with foil and place in a medium oven until the chicken thighs have cooked (at least 20 mins). Remove the chicken to a serving dish and keep warm
Return the liquid to the pan you cooked the chicken in. Put on the heat and add 3 peeled, sliced garlic cloves and another ¹/³ cup of red wine vinegar, and 1 tbsp of tomato paste.
Reduce over the heat to a sauce-like consistency, then swirl in a knob of hard butter to give it a gloss. Season with salt and pepper and add a good amount of finely chopped fresh parsley or French tarragon.
Pour over the chicken and serve immediately with simple vegetables, such as boiled baby potatoes and beans.