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Recipe: Chicken in Vinegar and Anchovy Sauce

May 23, 2008 at 4:06PM

Chicken in Vinegar and Anchovy Sauce

Serves 4 to 6

This recipe from Long Island's west end captures the tastes of Italy's southern coast. It also works well with veal. Cooking down the vinegar creates a "bit of a stink," notes John E. Bonk of Minneapolis. "But the results are worth the process. Clam linguine is a nice first dish prior to the chicken, and asparagus in butter works well alongside." Make sure to have plenty of rustic Italian bread on hand to soak up the sauce.

1 (4-lb.) chicken, cut into parts

2 tbsp. olive oil or butter

Flour for dredging

Salt and pepper

1 onion, finely chopped

³/₄c. white wine

1 tbsp. tomato sauce

1 c. hot water

¹/₂tsp. beef or chicken bouillon granules (or extract)

The sauce:

¹/₂c. red or white wine vinegar

3 anchovy fillets, chopped

1 tbsp. capers

1 tbsp. chopped garlic

2 tbsp. chopped fresh parsley

Directions

Rinse and pat the chicken dry. Heat the oil or butter in a large skillet, Dutch oven or casserole. Put the flour on a plate or in a shallow bowl and season it with the salt and pepper. When the oil is hot, dredge the chicken pieces in the flour, shaking off any excess. Add the chicken to the oil and brown on all sides, regulating the heat so that the chicken doesn't burn. (Do not crowd the chicken in the pan. You may have to sauté it in batches.) When the chicken is nicely browned, after about 5 to 10 minutes, remove it from the pan, set aside, and add the onion. Cook the onion, stirring until it becomes golden, about 5 minutes.

Add the wine, tomato sauce, hot water and bouillon, stirring until it comes together in a sauce. Return the chicken to the pan. Cover, reduce the heat to low and simmer, checking and turning the chicken occasionally, until the sauce is thick and the chicken is cooked through, about 30 minutes. (If the sauce looks thin, remove the lid after about 20 minutes of cooking and allowing the sauce to thicken.)

Cook the vinegar in a shallow pan over medium heat until it is reduced by half. Put the anchovies, capers, garlic and parsley into a small bowl or Pyrex cup. Pour the hot, reduced vinegar over the mixture and let sit for 5 minutes. Pour over the chicken, stir, and serve immediately.