MY FIRST ENCOUNTER WITH CHICKEN WITH VINEGAR WAS BY WAY OF MARCELLA HAZAN. I’D NEVER USED ANCHOVIES IN ANYTHING BUT A CAESAR SALD AND IT AMAZED ME HOW UNDETECTABLE THEY WERE IN THE FINISHED DISH, MERELY SERVING TO ENHANCE THE FLAVOR WITH A RICH UMAMI, BEFORE THAT WORD WAS COINED IN WESTERN COOKING. THIS BECAME ONE OF MY GO-TO DISHES. NO ONE EVER GUESSED IT CONTAINED ANCHOVIES.
LAST WEEK, I DECIDED TO EXPERIMENT — USING SOMEWHAT THE SAME INGREDIENTS, BUT HOPING FOR A SUBTLER FLAVOR. SO I SKIPPED DREDGING THE CHICKEN IN FLOUR BEFORE BROWNING, SUBSTITUTED EQUAL PARTS WHITE WINE AND BANYULS VINEGAR, WHICH IS SUBTLER THAN RED WINE VINEGAR BUT MORE ASSERTIVE THAN WHITE. I INCLUDED THYME WHERE THERE WAS ONLY ROSEMARY. I HAD A BOX OF CIPOLLINI ON HAND, SO IN THEY WENT AFTER BROWNING THEM BRIEFLY IN A SEPARATE PAN. I’M VERY HAPPY WITH THIS NEW VERSION OF AN OLD DISH. I HOPE YOU WILL BE TOO.
Click here to download recipe
