A One Pan Wonder, My Sherry Wine Vinegar Chicken

If you haven’t tasted my Sherry Wine Vinegar Chicken before, you might think I’ve gone mad. Cooking a chicken in vinegar, and with all that garlic? It must be awful? Well, you’d be wrong, it’s fantastic!

If you remember vinegar was one of My 12 Best Seasonings, and here it becomes the star of the show. As always, its essential to use a decent quality vinegar. Don’t expect to chuck in some chip-shop vinegar and get anything worth serving.

Sherry Wine Vinegar is made from sherry wine, originating from the Jerez region of Spain. The sherry is aged in oak barrels, then when it has reached its full flavour, a mother is added.

The Mother is a mass of bacteria which acts on the alcohol and sugars and turns them into acetic acid creating vinegar. Sherry wine vinegar has a relatively low acidity and a nutty flavour with a hint of caramel making it brilliant in rich dishes.

Making this dish is a masterclass in seasoning. Where the acid in the vinegar and mustard, counter the richness of the cream. Give it a try!

You will need.

• Heavy casserole pan with a lid
• Chopping board and knife
• Tongs
• Whisk

Sherry Wine Vinegar Chicken.

Serves 4

• 1tbsp              olive oil
• 1.2 kg chicken, jointed into 8 pieces or 8 skin on chicken thighs
• 8                    unpeeled cloves of garlic
• 5 tbsp            sherry wine vinegar
• 250ml dry white wine
• 1 sprig           thyme
• 80ml chicken stock
• 1tsp               Dijon mustard
• 250ml            double cream
•                       Chopped flat parsley

                      

                       

About The Chicken.

I am using a whole free-range chicken that has been jointed into 8 pieces. Cutting it in this way gives each person a portion of both white, and brown meat. If you would like to learn more about How to Joint a Chicken, see our post, ‘HERE.’

If that’s not to your taste, a pack of eight skin-on chicken thighs will do fine.

Sherry Wine Vinegar Chicken – cooking.

Put the oven on to warm up at 160˚c (150˚c fan)

Place the casserole over a medium to high heat and add the olive oil. Season the chicken then place it skin side down into the hot pan. Watch out the pan will spit and pop as first.

Brown the chicken pieces really well all over. Don’t hurry this, that colour is concentrated flavour. If the pan gets a little smoky then reduce the heat slightly. It’s a good idea to have your extraction up high and even open a window for the next stage.

Sherry Wine Vinegar Chicken – deglazing.

When the chicken is well coloured, remove the meat and drain any excess fat from the pan.

Reduce the heat under the pan and throw in the unpeeled garlic cloves. Stand well back and sprinkle in the vinegar, The steam coming off the pan will be quite acrid, try not to breath it in (that’s why the open window is a good idea).

Once the steam has subsided, stir well, scraping up any sediment from the bottom of the pan. Add the wine and thyme and give the pan another good stir.

Bring the heat back up again and let the pan simmer until the wine has reduced by half.  Then add the stock followed by the browned chicken. Pop on the lid and cook the casserole in the oven for about 15 -20 minutes. If you have a probe thermometer the thickest part of the meat should read in excess of 75˚c when ready

When cooked remove the pan from the oven and let the meat rest for five minutes or more before removing it from the pan and keeping warm.

Sherry Wine Vinegar Chicken –making the sauce.

Return the pan to the hob and bring the pan juices to the simmer.  Add the cream, to the pan and when simmering whisk in the mustard and allow the sauce to reduce to a nice consistency.

Return the cooked chicken to the pan to heat through, remove the thyme and add the chopped parsley. Cook for 30 seconds, and serve with plenty of braised basmati rice and some green vegetables.

I like to serve the garlic on the plate with the chicken. The combination of cooking in the vinegar and wine pacifies the acrid strength of the garlic. Gently squeeze the soft garlic from the skin, its delicious.

Enjoy Life !

John.

©John Webber2025