Oven-Braised Chicken in Red Wine Vinegar and Tomato Sauce

I have to admit that at first I was a little suspicious of using red wine vinegar and mustard in braised chicken. All I could imagine was that super sourish taste on top of somewhat pungent and bitter mustard. However, what actually happened was both the vinegar and mustard just fully integrated with all other ingredients. Also the pungent note got smoothed out during the longer braising time. It was fun seeing how this braise turned out to be one of my plate-licking recipes in the end.

Oven-braised chicken in red wine vinegar and tomato sauce -

Ingredients?

• 900 grams bone-in skin-on chicken (I used 6 drumsticks instead)
• 1 can/400 grams diced tomatoes
• 1 purple onion
• 2 garlic cloves
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon whole grain mustard
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 1/2 cup chicken stock
• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
• 1/4 teaspoon red chili flakes
• Some salt
• Some black pepper
• Some chopped parsley

How?

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit/220 degrees Celsius. 

Peel and dice the onion. Peel and chop the garlic cloves. Finely chop the parsley.

Season the chicken with some salt and pepper on both sides. Let the chicken rest in room temperature for about 10 minutes first.

Use a big pot, drizzle about 2 tablespoons of olive oil or enough amount to evenly coat the bottom of the pot. Turn to medium high heat. Once warmed, add in the chicken, keep them undisturbed for few minutes before flipping to cook the other side. It can better prevent ripping off the chicken because the skin tends to stick to the pot when first in contact with heat.

Sear till both sides of the chicken turn slightly browned. Remove the chicken from heat and set aside for later use.

If there's too much fat remains, wipe some out with a kitchen towel, only need to leave enough oil to evenly coat the bottom of the pot again.

Add in onion, garlic, 1 teaspoon of salt, and 1/4 teaspoon of red chili flakes. Give it a quick stir and cook till the onion turns slightly browned on the edges, about 4 minutes.

Pour in 1/2 cup of dry white wine along with 1/4 cup of red wine vinegar. Scrape the bottom of the pot to get the brown bits up.

Pour in canned diced tomatoes along with its juice. Also add in 1 bay leaf, 1 tablespoon of whole grain mustard, and 1/2 cup of chicken broth. Bring the whole thing to a boil then transfer seared chicken back to the mixture, skin side up if that applies. Scoop some juice over the chicken.

Keep the pot uncovered, transfer the pot to the oven and roast for about 25 minutes. You'll start seeing some darker brown bits on the skin, which is fine. You can also flip the chicken half way through to prevent darkened color. Just remember that the key is to let the juice reduced a bit.

Remove the pot from the oven. Pick out bay leaf and sprinkle some chopped parsley right before serving.

It really took me by surprise that red wine vinegar on top of whole grain mustard can work so well in such braised recipe. The sauce left in the end, I simply scooped that all over some steamed rice, but I supposed wipe the sauce clean with bread work just as delicious.

As for the chicken, the meat was much more tender and juicy than I expected. Did I mention that the skin on top also got a little crunch to it? Well, I guess that slightly burnt color speaks for itself.

Extended reading:

• Oven-roasted chicken with peri peri sauce