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    Home » cooking

    Lyonnaise Vinegar Chicken from April Bloomfield {recipe} - Before We Get to That

    Well, well, well.

    Look who thinks she's a food blogger now ...

    I write two posts on back-to-back days and suddenly I think I'm a food blogger again, and today posting not just once, but twice in one day. I may not even stop there. I'm going to go for three. Or four. But hey, why not keep it going? I may as well post eight times a day.

    There's a reason for this psychoblogical diarrhea of the brain. I have a lot of photos and recipes and stories I need to get uploaded before...

    Before...

    Um.
    Lyonnaise Vinegar Chicken, April Bloomfield
    Before we get to that, can we talk about this chicken for a minute? A second?

    No?

    Oh good, because I didn't really have much to say anyway about April Bloomfield's tarter, tastier take on a pan-roasted chicken with vinegar sauce that she tried while visiting Lyon, France. I am just posting it because it goes with the Herbed Brown Rice.

    And because I'm a fucking food blogger again!

    And ok, because you should make it and eat it. If not for the chicken, for the tiny garlic bombs that explode vinegar slicked sweetness when you bite into them.
    Lyonnaise Vinegar Chicken, April Bloomfield

    Lyonnaise Vinegar Chicken

    shamefully copied from April Bloomfield's recipe for Lyon-style Chicken with Vinegar Sauce in Food & Wine magazine, October 2011, but with minor tweaks so I don't get into (too much) legal trouble.

    serves 4

    Ingredients

    3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
    1 4-pound chicken, cut into 10 pieces
    Salt and freshly ground pepper
    3 tablespoons unsalted butter
    12 large garlic cloves, unpeeled
    1 bay leaf
    1 cup red wine vinegar (or banyuls vinegar, according to April Bloomfield)
    2 cups chicken stock
    ¼ cup crème fraîche (I didnt' use this because I am selectively dairy-free)

    Directions

    Preheat the oven to 450°.

    In a large, deep skillet, heat the oil. Season the chicken with salt and pepper, add to the skillet and cook over moderately high heat until browned. Add 1 tablespoon of the butter to the skillet and swirl to coat the chicken. Turn the chicken skin side up and add the garlic and bay leaf.

    Transfer the skillet to the oven and bake the chicken for 8 minutes, until the breast pieces are just white throughout.

    Transfer the breast pieces to a plate. Add the vinegar to the skillet, return to the oven and bake the remaining chicken, basting a few times, until cooked through, 15 minutes longer. Transfer the chicken and garlic to the plate.

    Add the chicken stock to the skillet and boil, scraping up the browned bits, until reduced to 1¼ cups, about 10 minutes.

    If you are using crème fraîche, whisk it in and the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter. Return the chicken to the skillet along with any accumulated juices. Simmer over moderately high heat, basting a few times, until the sauce thickens slightly and the chicken is heated through, about 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and serve with the Herbed Brown Rice.

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Cathy @ Savory Notes says

      December 12, 2011 at 12:45 am

      You had me at vinegar...and then again at chicken...

      Reply
    2. Vina says

      December 12, 2011 at 5:48 am

      looks so good and the flavors sound extremely tempting, but I'm not a fan of transferring "stuff" back and forth between ovens, skillets and plates... I'll definitely try this - but as a one-whatever-dish! ;-)

      Reply
    3. Emily Kelly says

      December 12, 2011 at 10:30 am

      This has been on my list of recipes to try since the October F&W came out- glad to know you had good results!  I think I will make it this weekend...

      Reply
    4. Jean says

      December 12, 2011 at 10:54 am

      Because of the vinegar, bay leaf and garlic components (and because I'm of Philippine descent) this reminds me of chicken adobo minus the soy sauce.  The similarities stop there, though.  This is definitely prettier to look at and because it's from Lyon, automatically more elegant. I like it. 

      PS: Nice to see you back to blogging.

      Reply
    5. sarah says

      December 12, 2011 at 11:06 am

      cathy: the vinegar is what scared me at first... an entire cup?! i was unsure, but made it anyway. thank goodness. (*always* gotta try everything at least once!)

      vina: i agree - too much work, when a whole roast chicken requires nothing but throwing it into the oven and walking away for an hour! still, this was a delicious change :)

      emily: and don't forget the herbed rice with it... AND the wine ;)

      jean: oh and adobo is on my list of things to-try.. (and thanks on returning to blogging :) let's see how long this lasts)

      Reply
    6. Anonymous says

      January 05, 2012 at 12:47 am

      Looks really yummy.  I like how the vinegar is paired with the chicken.  It reminds me of the Filipino dish adobo! Love your blog! and photos! :)

      Reply

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