This Paul Bocuse recipe for Chicken with Shallot-Wine Vinegar Sauce reminds so much of the chicken we used to have when I was growing up. I was too young to know how it was made, but this was definitely a dish often served. The ingredients are few and simple. It’s all in the cooking method. Perhaps the method was lost, or never written down for the original recipe. Well, here it is. It is delicious and I think that this is how it was prepared.
Ingredients
- 1 whole young chicken cut into serving portions
- kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 3 1/2 tbsp canola oil
Shallot-Wine Vinegar Sauce
- 1/4 cup finely chopped shallots
- 1/3 cup good red wine vinegar
- 1/4 cup water
- 2 tbsp butter
Side Dish
- 3 cups Homemade Mashed Potatoes
Instructions
Gather ingredients before starting recipe
- Pre heat oven to
400 °F - Season 1 whole young chicken with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.
- Heat a medium skillet with deep sides over medium high heat. Add 3 1/2 tbsp canola oil and heat until a cube of bread dropped in the oil immediately starts to sizzle and rises to the surface.
- Add chicken, skin side down. Cook undisturbed for 6-7 minutes or until the chicken has become golden. Turn and cook the second side until golden.
- Transfer the chicken to sheet pan and place in a pre heated oven for 15-20 minutes until done (the juices should run clear and the internal temperature should reach about 165℉) .
- Pour almost all of the fat off from the skillet, but make sure that there is an even film at the bottom of the pan.
- Add 1/4 cup finely chopped shallots and season with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. Sauté until the shallots are tender, about 2-3 minutes.
- Deglaze the pan with 1/3 cup good red wine vinegar and turn the heat on high and cook for 1 ot 2 minutes. Reduce heat to medium and add 1/4 cup water and cook until the mixture is slightly reduced and lightly thickened, about 3-4 minutes.
- Reduce heat to medium low and add 2 tbsp butter and stir into sauce.
- Remove chicken from oven and return to skillet and serve with Homemade Mash Potatoes.
Author Notes
The cooking method used here is what is known as shallow frying. Shallow frying or pan frying is when a small amount of fat is used to cook. The fat should be hot enough that when a cube of bread is dropped in the fat, it sizzles and immediately floats to the top. The fat should be deep enough so when the chicken is added to the pan, the fat comes up a little more than a third of the way up the chicken pieces. The result of frying in this way is juicy chicken on the inside but crispy and golden on the outside. For best results, use free range skin on chicken.
