Vinegar chicken

Debbie Major’s vinegar chicken recipe is made with garlic, dry white wine, brandy, dijon mustard and tomatoes – a perfect winter warmer.

Debbie Major’s vinegar chicken recipe is made with garlic, dry white wine, brandy, dijon mustard and tomatoes – a perfect winter warmer.

Ingredients

50g unsalted butter
1.5kg free-range chicken joints (2 large breasts, wings attached, and 2 large legs)
6 large garlic cloves, unpeeled
6 tbsp Artisan Malt Vinegar (see tip)
2 tsp caster sugar
300ml dry white wine
2 tbsp brandy
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
150ml crème fraîche
3 vine-ripened tomatoes, skinned (see tip), deseeded and diced
1 tbsp each chopped fresh tarragon and curly parsley

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Put the butter in a pan over a low heat until just melted. Pour into a large, deep frying pan or sauté pan with a lid, discarding the milky liquid that will have settled at the bottom of the butter pan (see tips).
Cut the chicken legs in half through the joint and halve each part-boned breast. Season on both sides, then fry, skin-side down, in the clarified butter over a medium heat until golden. Turn over and brown the other sides. Add the garlic, cover, lower the heat and simmer for 20 minutes or until the chicken is cooked. Meanwhile, heat the oven to 110°C/fan90°C/gas ¼.
Lift the chicken onto a warmed serving plate, cover and keep warm in the oven. Pour any juices from the pan into a small bowl, leave to settle, then skim off and discard the fat.

Return the pan to the heat, add the vinegar and sugar and bring to the boil, scraping up any bits with a spoon. Boil until reduced to about 2 tbsp, then add the wine and brandy and boil until reduced by half. Add any chicken cooking juices and boil until reduced to about 150ml (see tips). Press the sauce and soft garlic through a sieve into a clean pan and discard the garlic skins. Return the sauce into the pan, then stir in the mustard and crème fraîche. Simmer until thickened slightly. Return the chicken to the pan, spoon over some sauce and reheat briefly. Stir in the diced tomato and herbs, then adjust the seasoning.

Nutrition: per serving

To skin tomatoes, score the bases, then lower gently into a pan of just-boiled water. Leave for 30 seconds before removing, then allow to cool slightly.

The skins should peel off easily. You can use 40g ready-clarified butter or ghee instead of clarifying
your own butter in step 1, if you like.

If the chicken doesn’t produce much juice after step 3, use 100ml chicken stock instead for step 4.

If you can’t get hold of Artisan Malt Vinegar, useapple balsamic vinegar (from Waitrose) or regular malt vinegar, and add ½ tsp balsamic vinegar with it.
Freeze minus the tomatoes and herbs. Defrost, reheat and finish the recipe. Watch how to joint a chicken here or ask your butcher to do it.