Super Easy French Chicken in Vinegar Sauce

Chicken thigh in vinegar, onion sauce over rice.

5 from 1 vote

Super Easy French Chicken in Vinegar Sauce

Slow cooker or skillet - you pick. You can fix it and forget it in the slow cooker or cook it stovetop in 30 minutes. The sauce ends up with a tangy, delicious sweet and sour sort of profile.

Prep Time15

Cook Time28

Total Time43

Course: Main Dish

Cuisine: French

Servings: servings

Calories: 226kcal

Author: Carolyn Hetke

Ingredients

cooking spray
4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts or 8 skinless, boneless chicken thighs See Note 1.
2 ½ cups chopped onion sweet or yellow
½ cup dry white wine or substitute chicken broth for alcohol free
½ cup chicken broth
3 tablespoon tomato paste
2 tablespoon Balsamic vinegar
½ teaspoon brown sugar
½ teaspoon tarragon can substitute dried thyme
¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
¼ teaspoon black pepper

Optional Thickener

1 tablespoon corn starch

Instructions

Spray a large skillet with cooking spray. Add the onions and saute 5 minutes over medium high heat. Add the chicken and cook another 5 minutes or so. Turn the chicken only once and try to develop some browning on the chikcen.
Combine all the remaining ingredients.
If using the skillet add the sauce ingredients, cover and simmer 20 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through.
If using the slow cooker, transfer the onions and chicken and pan juices to the slow cooker. Add the remaining ingredients to the slow cooker. Cook on high 4 hours or low 7-8 hours.

Thickening

If you prefer a thicker sauce remove ½ cup of the onion/sauce and dissolve the cornstarch in it. Return slurry to the pan and cook until desired thickness. (If using the slow cooker add the thickener 30 minutes before ready to serve.)
Serve over rice, mashed potatoes or pasta.

Notes

You can use skin-on, bone-in chicken if you like. It will actually add flavour, although it is bit less elegant to serve.

Wine Pairing

This has a lot of flavour so a fairly robust wine would be in order here. For white, try a White Grenache, a Chenin Blanc or a Chardonnay. On the red spectrum, a fruity Zinfandel would work or a GSM blend. A Merlot would also be a good choice.

Nutrition