Spicy Vinegar Chicken Over Toms & Onions by Alison Roman
This recipe uses the most simple ingredients but delivers big DELICIOUS flavors. When Alison first launched it on her YouTube channel, I was not excited about it but she swore by it and it seemed within my kitchen skill set so I tried it. YUM! I have made it a few times over the years, for myself & for others and it is always a hit. The key is getting that perfect color on the chicken skin, all the good flavor comes from this. And lastly, I highly recommend serving it with some good bread to dunk into the juices. It is such a treat.
Ingredients
2.5-3 lbs bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
salt & pepper
2 tbls olive oil, plus more for drizzling
1 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 cup white distilled vinegar
1 red or yellow onion, thinly sliced
4 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
1 pound tomatoes, thinly sliced
1. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large pot over medium–high heat. Working in batches and starting with the largest pieces, add chicken skin side down and cook until deeply golden brown on one side, 8–10 minutes. Flip chicken and continue to cook until browned on both sides, another 3–4 minutes.
2. Transfer chicken to a large plate or rimmed baking sheet and repeat with remaining chicken, turning heat down ever so slightly during the second batch if needed (the pot will already be very hot and you don’t want anything to burn).
3. Add 4 cloves of chopped garlic and crushed red pepper flakes to the pot, letting it all sizzle in the chicken fat a minute. Scatter over about ¾ of the sliced onions and stir, scraping up any brown bits from the bottom of the pot. Cook onions about 2–3 minutes, just to take the edge off and start to soften.
4. Return chicken back to the pot, skin-side up, nestling everything in there nice and tight (overlapping is fine). Add ½ cup vinegar and ⅓ cup water. Season everything (the liquid, the onions) with salt and pepper, and drizzle with a bit more olive oil.
5. Bring to a simmer and reduce heat to medium–low and let cook on the stovetop, uncovered, until chicken is cooked through and sauce is slightly thickened and twice as delicious as when it started, 8–10 minutes (perhaps a bit longer for especially large chicken pieces).
6. Meanwhile, scatter tomatoes and remaining sliced onion on a large serving platter or your largest dinner plate and season with salt. Using tongs or two forks, transfer chicken on top of the tomatoes. Dip a spoon into the sauce and taste it, seasoning again with salt, pepper and vinegar if you think it needs it. Spoon all the sauce and cooked onions over the chicken and tomatoes and finish with a drizzle of olive oil, some flaky salt, more crushed red pepper flakes and black pepper. Serve with some good bread to dip into that sauce.
