Damn, That's a Lot of Chicken

The same neighbor who keeps me supplied with milk for my cheesemaking adventures gives us a fair number of other things, which (thankfully) vary from week to week and always keep me on my recipe-hunting toes. One recent dilemma: how to deal with 30 pounds of chicken leg quarters when the freezer(s) is full.

Note to self: It’s possible to get tired of chicken. So, so tired.

Note to reader: I’m actually a pretty lazy cook most of the time.

Solution: This fast, easy braised chicken that requires nothing fresh from my fridge – I’m not much into grocery shopping in this super-cold weather – falls off the bone so that John will eat it without complaint, takes all the chicken I can fit into my Dutch oven, and makes sufficiently versatile leftovers that we don’t get sick of eating the same thing over and over again. While I didn’t manage to make 30 pounds of this, I did knock out a sufficient quantity of it that we were able to close the freezer door afterwards.

The first round of this went with Potatoes Anna, which comes together quickly if you have a mandoline and looks ridiculously fancy for the small amount of work that goes into it; the second round paired with some risotto, which Deb Perelman has conclusively proven can be made in the oven with no arduous stirring – bless you, Deb! – and the actual leftovers were chopped up with celery and onions and dried cherries and curry powder and turned into a fantastic weekday lunch with some crackers. If I’d really been on my game I probably would have made stock from the bones but I really didn’t have time for canning that week and there wasn’t any space in the freezer…

The original recipe is from Mark Bittman, as are so many of the fast, delicious things that make it to our table regularly. This one is from The Best Recipes in the World.

Braised Chicken with Vinegar

3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
¼ cup chopped pancetta or bacon (I’ve skipped this and it’s been just as delicious)(ok, almost)
1 tsp fresh chopped rosemary or ½ tsp dried
2 fresh thyme springs or ½ tsp dried
3 garlic cloves, peeled and lightly smashed
3ish lbs of bone-in chicken. You can use a whole cut-up chicken but we use leg quarters or thighs.
Salt and pepper
½ cup good-quality red wine vinegar

 Set a pan large enough to hold the chicken over medium-high heat. Add the oil, pancetta or bacon, herbs, and garlic, stirring occasionally, until the pancetta browns (about 3 minutes if you’re skipping it). Remove the garlic from the pan.

Brown the chicken well, sprinkling well with salt and pepper. This should take 10-15 minutes if you’re doing it in batches.

Add the vinegar and ½ cup water. Raise the heat to high and cook for a minute or two, until the mixture reduces and thickens somewhat.

Reduce the heat to low, cover the pan, and simmer about 20 minutes.

Remove the chicken from the pan, raise the heat, and cook another few minutes to further reduce the sauce. Season with more salt and pepper as needed. Serve the sauce on the side.

NOTE: There is an alternate version published that has you using boneless skinless chicken breasts. If that’s your jam, follow the same instructions but only cook the chicken for 10 minutes so it doesn’t dry out.