In January I quit chips and alcohol, making the evenings real nail-biters. I used to sit in front of the TV watching my nightly reruns with a full bag of salt and vinegar chips and a tequila soda until the whole bag was gone. When my pants got a little tighter, my only change was buying the 40 percent less fat version. This is not a post about dieting, I promise. I hate diets, but I love rules. Go figure. This post is more about the joy of salt and vinegar chips and how you can eat it in the form of a dinner rather than eat a whole bag of chips. If you choose the chips, I don’t blame you. But this recipe for Salt and Vinegar Chicken and Potatoes is seriously great whether you gave up chips or not.
Salt and vinegar chips weren’t something I had around the house as a kid, but I distinctly remember the first time I ate them. We were on vacation at the beach, and my parents bought a bag of Cape Cod Salt and Vinegar Chips and told me I wouldn’t like them. I now realize they were only trying to keep them for themselves. Fair. But I ate one out of sheer curiosity and grimaced while my entire mouth salivated. A few minutes later I came back for another. The shock of the vinegar was so potent then that I could only eat one at a time. But the next day and probably fifty trips to the pantry later and they were all gone. I’ve been hooked on them ever since.
What better way to pay homage to my favorite chip than to make them into a meal? Chicken is so good cooked in vinegar, and I made the chicken skin extra crispy in this recipe to give you that crispy crackly chip feel. I love this little tip, but I always sear my skin on chicken thighs skin side down without touching them for a full ten minutes to render all that lovely fat and use it in the sauce later. Then bake the chicken and potatoes smothered in vinegar and chop up some parsley and mix with briny capers to go in with the vinegar sauce. See the full recipe below.
- 1.5 lb bone in skin on chicken thighs
- kosher salt and black pepper
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1 lb baby potatoes, halved
- 2 shallots, quartered
- 1 cup distilled white vinegar
- ½ bunch parsley
- ¼ cup capers, drained and rinsed
- Preheat the oven to 425.
- Dry your chicken thighs off with a paper towel. Sprinkle both sides with salt and pepper. In a large skillet or dutch oven, add 2 tbsp of the oil over medium high heat. Place the chicken thighs skin side down in the pot and cook without disturbing for 10 minutes. Remove the chicken to a plate with all the juices.
- On a large rimmed baking sheet, add the potatoes and shallots. Drizzle with the remaining 1 tbsp olive oil and sprinkle with kosher salt generously. Toss to coat. Nestle the chicken into the potatoes and pour the juices from the chicken on top. Pour the vinegar all over the chicken and potatoes. Bake for 35-40 minutes until the potatoes are fork tender.
- Meanwhile, chop your parsley roughly and place in a measuring cup along with the capers.
- Once the chicken is done, reserve the chicken and potatoes to a platter. Scrape all the juices and brown bits off the pan with a wooden spoon and into the caper parsley mixture. Pour this over the chicken and serve immediately.
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