Braised Chicken in Red Wine Vinegar

Braising chicken in vinegar is a cheap way to make a supermarket staple taste like a million bucks. This recipe calls for a cup and a half of red-wine vinegar, which sounds like a lot, but there's also chicken broth and water - and the liquid simmers in the oven for an hour and 15 minutes, so there's plenty of time for it to mellow and make the chicken deliciously tender.

3¾ lbs chicken pieces, bone-in, preferably dark meat
2½ tsp. sea salt, divided
½ tsp. black pepper, freshly ground
1½ Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
⅓ cup shallots, finely chopped
1½ cups red wine vinegar
1 cup chicken broth
½ cup water
2 Tbsp. tomato paste
1 cup canned whole peeled plum tomatoes, drained and quartered
6 cloves garlic
4 sprigs thyme
3 bay leaves
2 Tbsp. fresh parsley, finely chopped

Preheat oven to 300°F (150°C/130°C fan, Gas Mark 2).

Season chicken with 2 tsp. salt and pepper. Heat oil in a 5-6 qt Dutch oven or wide, ovenproof pot over medium-high heat. Arrange half the chicken in pot in a single layer and cook, turning once, until golden brown, 12-15 minutes. Transfer to a plate and repeat with remaining chicken.

Add shallots and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden, about 2 minutes. Add vinegar and cook until much of the acrid aroma has dissipated, 3-5 minutes. Add broth and ½ cup water, bring to a vigorous simmer, and cook until slightly reduced, 3-5 minutes.

Whisk in tomato paste and remaining ½ tsp. salt. Add tomatoes, then arrange chicken in pot, skin side up, pouring over any accumulated juices from plate. Tuck garlic, thyme, and bay leaves in liquid. Cover pot snugly with foil, then lid, and transfer to oven. Cook 1 hour and 15 minutes, until chicken is very tender.

Let rest 30 minutes; discard thyme and bay leaves. Scatter parsley on top and serve.

Makes 6 servings.