Spicy Vinegar Braised Chicken

Tangy and tasty, this spicy vinegar braised chicken is made with balsamic and red wine vinegars and lots of garlic. It’s delicious! 

Back in the day, it was quite common, at least in the southern United States to save rendered bacon grease for frying other ingredients. In fact, I have my grandmother’s can on my stove today but I must confess that it now contains just the regulators for my pressure cooker.  

Not because I don’t save my bacon grease – bite your tongue! - but because I keep my bacon grease in a Mason jar in the refrigerator. It lasts for ages like that and I just keep adding to it whenever I fry bacon.

I guess in the old days, refrigeration wasn’t common. My mom remembered when an ice box was actually an ice box and a man would deliver a big block of ice each week to put in the bottom drawer to keep everything up top cool. 

All of that to say, this recipe calls for bacon grease! It adds a lot of flavor but if you don’t save yours – why not? - please substitute olive oil or canola. 

Spicy Vinegar Braised Chicken 

We like food spicy so I use a whole teaspoon crushed red pepper here. Use less if spicy isn’t your thing. This recipe is adapted from one on New York Times Cooking. 

Ingredients

2.2 lbs or 1 kg bone-in chicken thighs

Fine sea salt and black pepper

2 tablespoons bacon grease (or substitute olive or canola oil) 

6 garlic cloves, peeled, smashed and lightly chopped

1 teaspoon crushed red pepper

½ cup or 120ml good quality balsamic vinegar

½ cup or 120ml good quality red wine vinegar

5 1/2 oz or 155g baby roma tomatoes, halved

For garnish and added flavor:

Small bunch cilantro, hard stems discarded, chopped

Method

Season chicken well on both sides with salt and pepper. In a large sauté pan, heat the bacon grease over medium heat. Panfry the chicken, skin side down first, making sure not to crowd the pan. We want to get some good color on the skin and if the chicken is packed too tightly, it will steam instead of fry. 

Turn the chicken once the skin is browned and panfry till golden on the other side as well. Remove the chicken from the pan and set aside on a plate deep enough to contain any juices that form. 

Remove all but a couple of tablespoons of the oil from the pan. Add the garlic to the pan and cook until it starts to become fragrant and lightly golden, about 2 minutes. 

Add in the crushed red pepper and fry for another 30 seconds or so. Pour in the vinegars and bring to a boil. 

Reduce the heat to medium low and put the chicken and any accumulated juices back in the pan. 

Cover and cook for 15 minutes, basting the chicken occasionally with the sauce. The chicken will let out juice so for a while you’ll have more sauce but just keep cooking. 

Remove the lid and continue cooking and basting until the sauce is almost completely gone and the chicken is fully cooked inside. (You can check by cutting into one of the thighs. There shouldn’t be any pink left near the bone.)

Add in the tomato halves and pop the lid back on for a minute or two, so they warm through. Baste again so that the tomatoes are covered with sauces.

Sprinkle with the chopped cilantro. 

Enjoy! 

Welcome to the 22th edition of the 2024 Alphabet Challenge, brought to you by the letter V. Many thanks to Wendy from A Day in the Life on the Farm for organizing and creating the challenge. Check out all the V recipes below:

• Jolene’s Recipe Journal: Vanilla Mug Cake 
• Culinary Cam: Teriyaki Sauce-Swabbed Venison Burgers on Seeded Sourdough Buns 
• Sneha’s Recipe: Veggies Mixed Dal Khichdi 
• Karen’s Kitchen Stories: No Churn Vietnamese Coffee Ice Cream 
• Blogghetti: Homemade Vanilla Latte 
• Mayuri’s Jikoni: Vegetable Cutlets 
• A Day in the Life on the Farm: Vietnamese Chicken Stirfry 
• A Messy Kitchen: Tropical Vols Au Vents 
• Food Lust People Love: Spicy Vinegar Braised Chicken 
• Magical Ingredients: Val Dal Veggie Paratha 
• Faith, Hope, Love, & Luck Survive Despite a Whiskered Accomplice: Sweet & Spicy Balsamic Vinegar Deviled Eggs

Here are my posts for the alphabet challenge, thus far:
A: Anchovy Deviled Eggs
B: Spicy Braised Ginger Pork Belly
C: Cecilie's Favorite Coleslaw
D: Cajun Chicken Eggplant Dressing
E: Everything Pizza Tartin
F: Baked Chicken and Feta Meatballs
G: Grape Juice Jigglers
H: Crispy Bacon-wrapped Chicken Hearts
I: Raspberry Rhubarb Ice Cream
J: Java Dry Spice Mix Chops 

K. Korean Barbecue-style Meatballs 

L. Easy Lamb and Fresh Tomato Curry 

M. Fresh Mint Sauce 

N. Miso Butter Noodles 

O. Spicy Orange Braised Short Ribs 

P. Homemade Piri Piri Sauce 

Q, Cointreau Glazed Orange Quick Bread 

R. Leek and Lobster Mushroom Risotto 

S. Cheesy Sausage and Egg Casserole 

T. Stuffed Turkey Cutlets 

U. Spicy Urad Dal -

V. Spicy Vinegar Braised Chicken - this post!

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Pollo en Jocón - Tomatillo Chicken Stew

Pollo en Jocón is a traditional chicken dish from Guatemala, with a flavorful bright green sauce made from tomatillos, cilantro, green pepper and jalapeños. It is properly served over white rice topped with fresh avocado slices.

I know what you are thinking, or at least I know what I was thinking when I first saw the name of this delicious stew from the Mayan culture. Pollo means chicken so jocón must be their word for tomatillo. Nope. 

According to New York Times Cooking, the name jocón comes from jok’, meaning to grind or mash in Mayan K’iche’.  Although the dish’s origins are indeed Mayan, some of its ingredients today, like sesame seeds and chicken, were likely introduced by Spanish colonizers.

Pollo en Jocón - Tomatillo Chicken Stew

Depending on how spicy you like your food, the jalapeños can be eliminated altogether or you can remove the seeds and membranes before mincing. If you can't find fresh tomatillos, canned are fine. 

Ingredients

1 1/2 lbs or 672g boneless skinless chicken breasts

1 lb or 450g fresh tomatillos, husked

5 cups or 1.2L chicken stock

1⁄4 cup or 35g pumpkin seeds (pepitas)

2 tablespoons or 14g white sesame seeds

2 corn tortillas

1/2 bunch cilantro, washed and roughly chopped

3 tablespoons olive oil

2 large garlic cloves

1 large green pepper

1 medium white onion

1-2 fresh jalapeños

Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Method

Place the chicken and tomatillos in a large pot with the chicken stock. 

Bring to a gentle boil then cover the pot and simmer over a low heat for about 30 minutes or until the chicken is just cooked through. 

In a dry non-stick pan over medium toast the pumpkin seeds, moving them constantly for three to five minutes. Add the sesame seeds and continue tossing for 2 more minutes until they are very lightly browned. 

Remove from heat immediately so they don’t continue browning.

Put the toasted pumpkin seeds and toasted sesame seeds into a blender (or clean coffee grinder) and pulse for 5 or 10 seconds, until they are ground. (You may need to stir a bit between pulses) Scrape into a small bowl or cup, and set aside. 

Peel and chop your garlic and onion. Remove the seeds and ribs from the green pepper and chop it roughly. Chop the jalapeños, if using. (See note above the ingredient list.)

Add the olive oil to a large pan. Sauté the garlic, green pepper, onion and jalapeños, stirring frequently, until the onion and peppers are soft. Remove from heat.

With a slotted spoon remove the chicken from the pot and set aside. Once cool enough to handle, use forks to shred the chicken. 

Remove tomatillos from the broth and put them in the blender. 

Rip the tortillas into pieces and put them in a small heatproof bowl. Pour about 1 cup or 240ml of the chicken broth from the pot over the tortillas and set them aside to soak till softened. 

Pinch any hard stems off of the cilantro and discard them along with any brown leaves. 

Add the cilantro, 1 1/2 cups or 360ml of the chicken broth, all of the bell pepper and onion mixture and the soaked tortillas (with their broth) to the tomatillos in the blender. 

Purée until smooth. Pour that gorgeous green sauce back into a pan. Use a little more of the stock to rinse the blender to make sure you get all of the sauce into the pan. (You can use the remaining broth to make the rice or save it for another recipe.) 

Add the ground toasted seeds to the pan. 

Bring the contents of the pan to a boil. Lower to a gentle simmer and cook, uncovered for 10 minutes to thicken the sauce. 

Add the shredded chicken to the thickened sauce.

Simmer gently for an additional 10 minutes or until the chicken is warmed through again. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste. 

Serve the tomatillo chicken stew over white rice with some cilantro for garnish and a few slices of avocado. This dish is so flavorful and the avocado is the perfect topping to complement its spicy freshness. No wonder it's traditional. 

Enjoy!  

If you are a fan of tomatillos, you might also enjoy my Chicken Chili Verde made in an Instant Pot with white beans and the special little tomatillos from Melissa’s Produce called tomatillos milperos

 

It's Sunday FunDay and today we are sharing recipes with avocados. Many thanks to our host, Sneha of Sneha's Recipe. 

• Avocado Chicken by A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Green Salad With Avocado Dressing by Mayuri's Jikoni
• Keto Bacon Wrapped Avocado Fries by Sneha's Recipe
• Papas con Salsa de Aguacate by Culinary Cam
• Smooth Guacamole by Amy's Cooking Adventures 
• Spicy Avocado Coriander Chutney by Cook with Renu
• Pollo en Jocón - Tomatillo Chicken Stew by Food Lust People Love

 

We are a group of food bloggers who believe that Sunday should be a family fun day, so every Sunday we share recipes that will help you to enjoy your day. If you're a blogger interested in joining us, just visit our Facebook group and request to join.

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Tomatillo Chicken Stew!

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Creamy Chicken Taco Soup

This Creamy Chicken Taco Soup boasts chunks of tender chicken, sweetcorn, and black beans in a rich, spicy cheesy tomato broth. Taco flavors in a bowl to warm you up! 

When we are in Texas, tacos are on our menu frequently because I can buy our favorite tortillas freshly made at a neighborhood store. They are made with half wheat flour and half corn so are called mitad y mitad - half and half. They are softer than corn tortillas with more texture than plain flour ones. Truly, the perfect mix. 

Here in the Channel Islands, corn tortillas are hard to come by and I cannot abide flour ones so we spend our summers mostly taco-less. I did pack a bag of masa harina in the suitcase this year, along with a tortilla press so I could make my own. A girl’s gotta do what a girl’s gotta do. 

Had the weather been cooperating, I’d have marinated my chicken breasts and we’d have grilled them for actual tacos. Since it’s pouring down rain and the wind is howling, I decided taco soup was more fitting. 

Creamy Chicken Taco Soup

For this recipe, I use bone-in, skin on chicken breasts because they add more flavor to the soup as they simmer. The trick is to simmer the chicken slowly so you can remove the pieces whole to debone and shred.

Ingredients

1 tablespoon canola or other light oil

1 medium onion

4 cloves garlic

1 1/2 oz or 42g roasted red peppers

3 tablespoons taco seasoning

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon smoked paprika

1 teaspoon cayenne

Several generous grinds black pepper

6 cups or 1440ml chicken stock

1 can (14 oz or 400g) crushed tomatoes

2 chicken breasts (weight about 1 lb 5 oz or 600g with bones)

8 oz or 225g cream cheese (cut into cubes)

2 cups or 280g frozen corn

1 can (14 oz or 400g) black beans, drained and rinsed

To finish:

Fine sea salt, to taste (Keep in mind that some taco seasonings and chicken stock have a lot of salt so definitely taste before adding more.)

Optional toppings: cilantro, cheddar cheese, tortilla chips, lime wedges for squeezing

Method

Peel and finely chop your onion and garlic. (Use a small food processor if you have one!)

Chop the roasted red pepper with a sharp knife. 

In a large pot, sauté the onion and garlic with the oil until they are soft, about 5 minutes.

Stir in the chopped red pepper, taco seasoning, smoked paprika, cumin, cayenne and black pepper. 

Add the chicken stock, canned tomatoes and chicken breasts.

Bring the pot to a low boil then reduce the heat and simmer, covered, for about 30 minutes or until the breasts are cooked through. I insert a thermometer in mine to check. When it reads 180°F or 82°C, the chicken is done.

Remove the chicken from the pot and set it aside till it's cool enough to handle.  

Add the cream cheese to the pot and stir. Leave it to melt while you deal with the chicken. 

Remove the skin, bones and any cartilage from the breasts. Pull the meat apart into bite size pieces. 

Add the chicken, corn and black beans to the pot and stir. Gently heat the soup until it’s hot through.

Serve the soup with the toppings of your choice but I highly recommend squeezing a little lime juice on it. 

Enjoy!

It’s Sunday FunDay and today we are sharing taco recipes in celebration of National Taco Day! Many thanks to our host Camilla from Culinary Cam. Check out the links below. 

• Carnitas Taco Salad by Amy's Cooking Adventures
• Chicken Tinga Tacos by A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Creamy Chicken Taco Soup by Food Lust People Love
• Crispy Baked Chicken Taquitos by Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Crispy Grilled Shrimp Tacos by Culinary Cam
• Easy Spicy Jackfruit Tacos by Cook with Renu
• Veggie Taquitos by Mayuri's Jikoni

 

We are a group of food bloggers who believe that Sunday should be a family fun day, so every Sunday we share recipes that will help you to enjoy your day. If you're a blogger interested in joining us, just visit our Facebook group and request to join.

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Buttermilk-Brined Roast Chicken Crown

After 24 hours of marinating, and a hour + in a hot oven, this buttermilk-brined roast chicken crown is tender and juicy inside with the most delectable golden skin outside!

We love a good Sunday roast dinner, especially for a special occasion like Mother’s Day and, frankly, I am much more likely to roast chicken than an expensive cut of beef. No pressure to get it exactly the right amount of rare! Add some roast potatoes, tasty onion gravy and some young peas and I’m happy. 

I don’t know why but it’s hard to find chicken crowns, an all-breast cut that still has the bones underneath left on. I was jumping around in my local grocery store when I happened to come across one, on sale no less, because my mom was never a fan of chicken legs or thighs. A chicken crown was pretty much her ideal bird for roasting. She loved this dish!

Buttermilk-Brined Roast Chicken Crown

This recipe is adapted from one on New York Time Cooking, where it was in turn adapted from the fabulous cookbook, Salt Fat Acid Heat, Mastering the Elements of Good Cooking by Samin Nosrat. If you haven’t read the book or watched the show on Netflix, I highly recommend both. 

Ingredients

1 chicken crown, weight about 4 lbs 4 oz or 1966g

Kosher salt or fine sea salt

2 cups or 480ml buttermilk (or substitute 3 tablespoons white vinegar in measuring cup filled to 2 cups with milk)

2 medium onions

1 small lemon

Method

The day before you want to roast it, season the chicken crown generously with salt and let it sit for 30 minutes.

Stir 2 tablespoons kosher salt or 4 teaspoons fine sea salt into the buttermilk to dissolve. Place the crown in a gallon-size resealable plastic bag and pour in the buttermilk. 

Seal the bag, squish the salty buttermilk all around the chicken, place on a rimmed plate, and refrigerate for 12 to 24 hours, turning the bag every once in a while. 

Pull the chicken from the fridge an hour before you plan to cook it. 

Heat the oven to 400°F or 180°C with your degrees with an iron skillet on a rack set in the center position.

Slice the onions in thick slices to act as a baking trivet. Poke the lemon all over with the sharp point of a knife. 

Remove the chicken crown from the plastic bag and scrape off as much buttermilk as you can. If the skin is riding up a little bit at the pointy end, use a toothpick or two to secure it.

Carefully lay the sliced onions in the hot cast-iron skillet. 

Place the chicken on top, tucking the lemon underneath it. Put the hot skillet back in the oven. 

If you have eagle eyes, you might notice that I also put my Meater thermometer into the chicken crown at the thickest part. (The silver thing on the top left, with the black top.) It was a Christmas gift from my husband a few years back. The Meater runs with an app and tells me when the internal temperature has reached whatever I set it on. Like magic.

After about 20 minutes, when the chicken starts to brown, reduce the heat to 350°F or 180°C and turn the pan around. Cook until the internal temperature of the crown reaches 165°F or 74°C, about another hour.  

If the skin is getting too brown before it is cooked through, use a foil tent to protect it.  

Once the chicken crown is cooked to the desired temperature, take it out of the skillet and put it on a board covered with a foil tent to rest for 10 minutes.

Carve to serve. Enjoy! 

It's Sunday FunDay as well as Mother's Day in the United States so my friends and I are sharing recipes for a mom pleasing brunch! Many thanks to our host, Amy of Amy's Cooking Adventures. Check out the Mother's Day brunch links:

• Buttermilk-Brined Roast Chicken Crown by Food Lust People Love
• Cheesy Chive Popovers by Culinary Cam
• Mini Pavlova by Amy’s Cooking Adventures
• Moong Dal Chila by Mayuri's Jikoni
• Sausage Balls by A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Tomato Ketchup Chicken & Rice Platter by Sneha's Recipe
  

We are a group of food bloggers who believe that Sunday should be a family fun day, so every Sunday we share recipes that will help you to enjoy your day. If you're a blogger interested in joining us, just visit our Facebook group and request to join.

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