Lyon-Style Chicken in Vinegar Sauce

📝 Ingredients

• 4 chicken legs (about 250 g each)
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 4 shallots (about 120 g)
• 4 garlic cloves
• 2 tbsp tomato purée
• 100 ml red wine vinegar
• 1 chicken stock cube + 300 ml hot water
• 1 tsp dried thyme + 1 bay leaf
• 2 tbsp light crème fraîche, 15% fat
• 280 g long-grain rice
• 10 g fresh parsley
• Salt, black pepper

🍴 Utensils

• Flameproof casserole dish with lid
• Large saucepan
• Colander
• Wooden spatula
• Whisk
• Chopping board and knife

📖 Steps

1. Remove the skin from the chicken legs by pulling firmly, using kitchen paper to get a good grip. Cut each leg in two at the joint to separate the drumstick from the thigh. Season with salt and pepper on all sides.
2. Heat the oil in the casserole dish over a medium-high heat. Brown the chicken pieces for 4 minutes on each side without moving them, until nicely coloured (in two batches if your casserole is small). Set aside on a plate and turn the heat down to medium.
3. Add the finely chopped shallots to the casserole and fry for 3 minutes, scraping up the caramelised bits from the bottom with a wooden spatula. Add the chopped garlic and tomato purée and stir for 1 minute, until the purée darkens slightly.
4. Pour in the vinegar all at once, without leaning over the casserole as the fumes sting your eyes, and let it bubble for 2 to 3 minutes, until reduced by half: this step mellows its acidity.
5. Add the stock cube dissolved in 300 ml hot water, the thyme and the bay leaf. Return the chicken and its juices to the pan, bring to a simmer, cover and cook gently over a low heat for 35 minutes, turning the pieces halfway through.
6. Meanwhile, cook the rice in a large pan of boiling salted water for 10 to 12 minutes, then drain. The chicken is done when the meat comes away easily from the bone and the juices run clear when you pierce it.
7. Remove the chicken and keep warm in a covered dish. Remove the bay leaf and reduce the sauce over a high heat, uncovered, for 5 to 8 minutes, until it coats the back of a spoon.
8. Off the heat, whisk in the crème fraîche to thicken the sauce, then taste and adjust the seasoning. Return the chicken to the casserole and coat it in the sauce, sprinkle with chopped parsley and serve with the rice.