Pollo en Escabeche Manchego

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Wide heavy lidded pan or enameled casserole, 28 to 30cm
• •Kitchen tongs
• •Instant-read thermometer
• •Nonreactive glass, glazed ceramic or stainless-steel container with lid, about 2.5 liters

Instructions

1. 1

   Salt the chicken

   Season the chicken all over with 12g of the salt and leave it for 20 minutes while you prepare the onion and carrot. Pat the pieces dry again before frying. Surface water makes chicken spit and steam in its own juices instead of taking on the deep golden color the escabeche needs.

   Bone-in thighs remain moist after their night in vinegar. Boneless breast cooks quickly, but it dries before the escabeche has had time to do its work.
2. 2

   Brown in batches

   Heat 100ml of the olive oil in a wide, heavy lidded pan over medium heat. Add four thighs skin-side down and fry without moving them for 7 to 8 minutes, until the skin is deep gold. Turn and cook the second side for 3 minutes. Lift them to a plate and repeat with the remaining thighs. They will still be raw beside the bone; the braise finishes them.

3. 3

   Build the escabeche

   Lower the heat and add the remaining 50ml olive oil, the onion, carrot, garlic and remaining 4g salt. Cook gently for 12 to 15 minutes, stirring now and then, until the onion is soft and lightly golden and the carrot has begun to yield. Add the bay, peppercorns and thyme. Pour in the wine, scrape up the browned bits and simmer for 3 minutes. Add the vinegar and water, then bring the liquor back to a gentle simmer.

   Use stainless steel, enamel or glazed cookware once the vinegar goes in. Bare aluminum and unlined cast iron can react with the acid and give the liquor a metallic taste.
4. 4

   Braise it gently

   Return the chicken to the pan in one snug layer, skin-side up. The liquor should reach roughly halfway up the pieces. Cover with the lid slightly ajar and hold it at a bare simmer for 20 minutes. Turn the thighs, cook for another 10 minutes, then turn them skin-side up and cook uncovered for 5 to 10 minutes. They are done when the thickest part reaches 75°C and a skewer meets tender meat beside the bone. Do not let the liquor boil hard.

5. 5

   Rest until tomorrow

   Arrange the chicken snugly in a 2.5-liter nonreactive container, spoon the vegetables over it and pour in every drop of the escabeche. Leave it for 30 minutes, then cover loosely and refrigerate. Once cold, close the lid fully. Turn the pieces after 8 to 12 hours so both sides meet the liquor, then rest for a full 24 hours before serving.

   Escabeche began as a keeping method, but this chicken is not shelf-stable. Refrigerate it promptly and keep it cold.
6. 6

   Serve cool or warm

   For a cool serving, take the container from the refrigerator 20 to 30 minutes before eating, just long enough for the olive oil to loosen. Spoon the onion, carrot and glossy liquor over each thigh. To serve it just warm, return everything to a covered pan and heat gently until the chicken reaches 74°C, then rest it off the heat for 10 minutes. Put bread on the table. Leaving that escabeche behind would be foolish.

Chef Tips

• •Buy bone-in thighs with firm flesh and skin that looks dry rather than waterlogged. They brown better and stay juicy through the vinegar bath. A whole jointed chicken is also traditional, but the breast pieces must come out earlier or they dry.
• •White wine vinegar gives the cleanest result. Vinagre de Jerez, sherry vinegar, makes a darker, nuttier escabeche, while cider vinegar makes it fruitier and less sharp. Use distilled white vinegar only if you enjoy arguing with your lunch.
• •The first taste should wait 24 hours, and 48 hours is even better. Keep the chicken covered by as much liquor as possible and turn it once during the rest.
• •Keep leftovers refrigerated in their escabeche and eat them within 4 days of cooking. The acid improves flavor, but it does not make home-cooked chicken safe in the cupboard.
• •For a picnic, carry the chicken below 4°C in a leakproof container surrounded by ice packs. Set out only what will be eaten, and do not leave it unrefrigerated for more than 2 hours, or 1 hour in strong summer heat.
• •Serve it with candeal bread for the onion-rich liquor and a young, dry Airén from La Mancha. The wine is optional. The bread is doing useful work.

Advance Preparation

• •Cook the complete dish at least 24 hours before serving. Resting 48 hours gives an even rounder escabeche without requiring any further work.
• •Turn the chicken once after 8 to 12 hours so the vinegar liquor seasons both sides evenly.
• •The dish travels well for lunch or a picnic when packed cold with its vegetables and enough liquor to keep the meat moist.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 310g)