Chicken with Vinegar Sauce

By cserumga

Ingredients

• 1 tsp cornstarch
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 1/2 cup cider vinegar
• 2 tsp honey
• 3 lbs bone-in chicken pieces (split breasts cut in half crosswise, drumsticks, and/or thighs), trimmed
• Salt and pepper
• 2 tsp vegetable oil
• 1 shallot, minced
• 4 garlic cloves, lightly crushed and peeled
• 1 Tbsp unsalted butter
• 1 Tbsp chopped fresh tarragon

Preparation

Step 1

1. Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position and heat oven to 450F. Dissolve cornstarch in 2 Tbsp broth in 2-cup liquid measuring cup. Whisk in vinegar, honey, and remaining broth; set aside.

2. Pat chicken dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Heat oil in 12-inch ovensafe skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Cook chicken, skin side down, until well browned, 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer to plate, skin side up.

3. Pour off all but 1 Tbsp fat from skillet and return to medium-high heat. Add shallot and garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Whisk broth mixture to redistribute cornstarch and add to skillet, scraping up any browned bits. Bring to a boil and return chicken to skillet, skin side up, along with accumulated juices. Move skillet to oven and cook until breasts register 160F and drumsticks/thighs register 175F, 10 to 15 minutes.

4. Transfer chicken to serving platter, tent loosely with aluminum foil, and let rest while preparing sauce. Return skillet to medium-high heat (skillet handle will be hot), bring to boil, and cook until sauce it slightly thickened, 5 to 7 minutes. Off heat, whisk butter, tarragon, and any accumulated juices from platter into sauce. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Spoon sauce over chicken and serve.