Chicken with Vinegar Sauce

Ingredients

• 2 chicken legs, bone-in
• 2 chicken thighs, bone-in
• 8 garlic cloves, minced
• 3 shallots, minced
• 250ml of distilled malt vinegar, sweetened with 2 tsp sugar
• 250ml of cider, medium sweet
• 4 tbsp of double cream
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tbsp of vegetable oil
• 50g of butter
• Salt
• Pepper

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C/gas mark 4.
2. Heat a skillet over a medium-high heat and add the oil. Brown the chicken pieces, turning until golden all over. Once evenly coloured, add the butter and baste the chicken for a minute or so.
3. Place the skillet in the oven for 20 minutes. Remove the chicken and drain off most of the butter.
4. Over a low heat, sauté the shallots and garlic with a pinch of salt until they're soft and sweet – be careful not to colour them. Remove from the pan.
5. Add the vinegar and cider to the pan to deglaze and reduce by half. Remove the pan from the heat and let it cool a little.
6. Once the sauce is around 50°C (you can pop a finger in without it burning) add the 4 tbsp of double cream and whisk it in. Taste and add a little more sugar if you think it needs it.
7. Add the chicken and shallots back to the pan before serving. Once all heated through, serve with a crusty baguette and plenty of butter.

In collaboration with Helen Graves - Great British Chefs.