Chicken Escabeche

Name: Chicken Escabeche
Yield: makes 4 servings
Ingredients: 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil; 1 chicken, 3 to 4 pounds, cut into serving pieces, or 2 1/2 to 3 pounds chicken parts, trimmed of excess fat; Salt and black pepper to taste; 1 large white or red onion, cut in half and sliced into half-moons; 2 medium carrots, roughly chopped; 2 celery stalks, roughly chopped; 1 red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and roughly chopped; 1 green bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and roughly chopped; 2 bay leaves; 5 fresh thyme sprigs or 1 teaspoon dried; 5 fresh marjoram or oregano sprigs or 1 teaspoon dried marjoram or 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano; 1 small dried or fresh chile, optional; 3 garlic cloves, peeled and lightly crushed; 1 cup red wine or other vinegar; 1 cup red wine; 1 tablespoon sugar

December 14, 2011

Escabeche (see also pages 235 and 350) is a great way to flavor food, by marinating it after it’s cooked rather than before. The cooked chicken (in this case) is bathed in an aromatic marinade. The soaking need not be long, but since the dish is best served at room temperature (it makes a good picnic option), you should plan to wait a while between cooking and eating. Use this as part of a picnic or buffet.

Recipe information

Yield
makes 4 servings

Ingredients

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 chicken, 3 to 4 pounds, cut into serving pieces, or 2 1/2 to 3 pounds chicken parts, trimmed of excess fat

Salt and black pepper to taste

1 large white or red onion, cut in half and sliced into half-moons

2 medium carrots, roughly chopped

2 celery stalks, roughly chopped

1 red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and roughly chopped

1 green bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and roughly chopped

2 bay leaves

5 fresh thyme sprigs or 1 teaspoon dried

5 fresh marjoram or oregano sprigs or 1 teaspoon dried marjoram or 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

1 small dried or fresh chile, optional

3 garlic cloves, peeled and lightly crushed

1 cup red wine or other vinegar

1 cup red wine

1 tablespoon sugar

Preparation

Step 1
Put the oil in a deep skillet or flameproof casserole, preferably nonstick, with a lid. Turn the heat to medium-high and wait a minute or so, until the oil is hot. Add the chicken, skin side down, and brown it well, rotating and turning the pieces as necessary and sprinkling them with salt and pepper as they cook, 10 to 15 minutes. Adjust the heat to prevent burning and continue to cook the chicken until it is done, another 15 minutes or so. Transfer the chicken to a deep platter. (Breasts will be done before legs and thighs; remove them first.)
Step 2
Turn the heat to medium and add the onion, carrots, celery, peppers, bay leaves, herbs, chile if using, garlic, a pinch of salt, and about 1/ 2 teaspoon pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion softens, about 10 minutes. Add the vinegar, wine, sugar, and 1 cup water and bring to a boil; lower the heat and simmer for about 10 minutes.
Step 3
Pour the hot mixture over the chicken and let rest until the dish reaches room temperature before serving. Or cover well and refrigerate; the escabeche will keep for at least a couple of days (bring back to room temperature before serving).

The Best Recipes in the World by Mark Bittman. © 2005 by Mark Bittman. Published by Broadway Books. All Rights Reserved. MARK BITTMAN is the author of the blockbuster The Best Recipes in the World (Broadway, 2005) and the classic bestseller How to Cook Everything, which has sold more than one million copies. He is also the coauthor, with Jean-Georges Vongerichten, of Simple to Spectacular and Jean-Georges: Cooking at Home with a Four-Star Chef. Mr. Bittman is a prolific writer, makes frequent appearances on radio and television, and is the host of The Best Recipes in the World, a 13-part series on public television. He lives in New York and Connecticut.

TagsEscabèche Red Wine Wine Alcohol Beverages Latin American Spanish European Chicken Poultry Main Dinner Gluten Free Dairy Free Nut Free Make Ahead Braise Cookbooks

Recipe information

Ingredients

Preparation

Step 1

Step 2

Step 3

Recipe notes