Chicken Braised with Red Wine Vinegar and Tomatoes

This recipe was magical.  It transported me back in time to when my parents lived in the North West corner of Spain in the Basque region.  It was absolutely delicious.  I served it as suggested with crusty bread and steamed green beans.  Serves: 4   Recipe courtesy of Fine Cooking April/May 2012.

Ingredients:

¼ C all-purpose flour

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

2# boneless, skinless chicken thighs, each cut into 4 even pieces

3 T EVOO ( I only used 2, see note)

1 small onion, halved and thinly sliced

2 large cloves garlic, minced

1 14oz. can diced tomatoes, drained

1 dried bay leaf

1/3 C good-quality red wine vinegar

½ C lower-salt chicken broth

¼ C chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Directions:

1.      Put the flour, 1t salt and ½ t pepper in a 1 gallon plastic zip-top bag.  Close and shake to combine.  Add the chicken to the bag, zip it closed, and shake vigorously to coat with flour.

2.      Heat 2T of oil in a 12” skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering hot.  Add half of the chicken in a single layer and cook, flipping once, until golden, 2-3 minutes per side.  Transfer the chicken to a large bowl.  (Just a note:  My chicken from Costco was 1 ¾#.  It did not crowd the skillet to fry all at one time.  Also instead of dirtying an additional bowl, I use paper plates, the really cheap ones that can be tossed for interim steps.) Add the remaining 1T oil to the pan and repeat with the remaining chicken.

3.      Add the onion to the pan and cook, stirring, until slightly softened, about 2 minutes.  Add the garlic and cook, 30 seconds more until you smell it. 

4.      Stir in the tomatoes and bay leaf, raise the heat to high, and cook until the tomatoes begin to break down, about 2 minutes.  

5.      Add the vinegar and boil vigorously until almost evaporated, about 30 seconds. 

6.      Return the chicken and any accumulated juice to the pan, along with the chicken broth, ½ t salt (I skipped) and ½ t pepper, stirring well to combine. 

7.      Bring to a boil; then reduce the heat to maintain a simmer. 

8.      Cook, partially covered, stirring occasionally, until the chicken is cooked through, about 8 minutes. 

9.      Stir in parsley, cover and cook for 1 minute. 

10.  Remove bay leaf and serve.