A fall chicken recipe, modified — chicken braised in two vinegars

I keep on eye on the New York Times for recipe ideas, but usually what they feature has too much salt, fat or sugar for my needs. Such was the case when I recently received a Times email entitled 72 Recipes You Should Make This Fall.

 

Looking through them, I didn’t see many heart-health choices until I came across this chicken braised in two vinegars recipe. The Times uses thighs, high in fat, so I’d substitute breasts and leave off the salt mentioned as something you can add for serving.

The ingredients (with my changes):

2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs (substitute breasts)
Kosher salt and black pepper (leave out the salt)
2 tablespoons olive oil
6 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed
½ cup best-quality balsamic vinegar
½ cup best-quality red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon finely chopped Italian parsley (optional)
2 teaspoons finely chopped oregano (optional)
Flaky salt, for serving (optional) (leave it out, do include the above spices though, they will impart more flavor than simply adding salt)

And here’s the step-by-step, so you don’t have to click through to the source if you don;t want to (some readers have complained about that, sorry).

1. Season chicken with pepper
2. In a large sauté pan, heat olive oil over medium heat.
3. Add garlic and cook about 2 minutes.
4. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside.
5. Begin cooking the chicken, making sure not to crowd the pan Cook until the chicken is no longer pink on the outside and begins to lightly brown in spots, about 3 to 4 minutes per side. If it’s not cooked through at this point, that’s O.K.
6. If you’ve cooked the chicken in batches, add all of the meat and any residual juices back to the pan. Pour in the vinegars, add reserved garlic and bring to a simmer. Turn heat to medium-low, cover and allow the meat to continue to cook in the sauce, about 5 to 7 minutes more.
7. Uncover and toss chicken well in the vinegar sauce to coat. Cook chicken about 3 to 5 minutes more or until the sauce has reduced by about half and has thickened slightly. Sprinkle with parsley and oregano.