Vinegar roast chicken

Here's another riff on one of my go-to formulas: Brown chicken. Add some liquid. Bake till done. Reduce the sauce.  The sauce, in this case, is a combination of chicken stock (or water) and balsamic vinegar. After a half hour in the oven the vinegar becomes sweet and mellow.

Ingredients

2 bone-in chicken breasts, skin on and well salted

2 shallots, minced

2 cloves of garlic, minced

1 tbsp butter

1 tbsp olive oil

Equal parts balsamic vinegar and chicken stock (or water)

How to

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

In a cast iron or stainless steel skillet, melt the butter and olive oil over medium-high heat. When the bubbles from the melted butter have subsided, brown the chicken to a deep golden color. Remove from the pan and stir in the shallots for 2-3 minutes. Stir in the garlic for another 30 seconds, replace the chicken skin side up, and pour in the balsamic and stock. When the liquid is at a boil (this should happen almost immediately), remove from the stove and put in the over for roughly 20 minutes.

When the chicken comes out of the oven it should be deep brown with a crispy skin. Remove the breasts from the pan and reduce the remaining liquid to a well-bodied sauce. Feel free to add anything you'd like to the sauce (thyme, mustard, etc.). Serve over Israeli couscous.