Have you ever had a dish that was so incredibly good, but you couldn’t figure out why? Something that looked totally ordinary, but tasted absolutely extraordinary? The first time that happened to me was during a business lunch at a Japanese restaurant. I ordered some sea bass and it arrived with a nice sear and was served with some wasabi mashed potatoes. I took one bite of the bass and just stared at my plate. Why on earth was on this piece of fish so good?! It tasted so sweet, but also really earthy and the meat was so tender and juicy even though it had a dark crust on the outside. I later learned that curious flavor combo was a mixture of miso and mirin.
This is another one of those “What IS it about this that makes it taste so great?!?!” dishes. It’s a slightly adapted version of Michelle Tam (Nom Nom Paleo)’s Damn Fine Chicken. I cut back on the sherry vinegar and added a bit of tarragon vinegar. It really takes the dish to another level. You might be tempted not to bother with the flavored vinegar and just use plain white vinegar instead. Don’t. Seriously, don’t. It will not taste the same. It will not be remarkable. Your socks will not be knocked off. Lol! As for the recipe below? Imagine the best baked chicken you have ever had and then give it a hint of a vinegary tang, a subtle smoky onion flavor, and just a touch of earthy saltiness. It’s the best chicken I’ve ever made.
Get out:
- 2 lbs chicken thighs
- 2 shallots, sliced into rings
- 1 stalk of scallion, thinly sliced
- 2 tbsp sherry vinegar
- 1 tbsp tarragon vinegar
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp fish sauce
- 1 tsp Fines Herbes Seasoning
- Salt and Pepper
In a small bowl, add all of your ingredients except for your chicken thighs.
Use your hands to really squeeze all the ingredients together and rub them against each other, so all of the flavors meld.
Stab your chicken thighs all over with a fork, so that the marinade penetrates deep into the chicken meat.
Toss your chicken and the marinade mixture into a gallon-size resealable Ziploc bag.
Let the chicken marinate in the fridge overnight.
Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.
Dump the chicken and marinade into a baking dish.
Bake for approximately 40-45 minutes, until chicken is golden on top and cooked through.
Serve.
- 2 lbs chicken thighs
- 2 shallots, sliced into rings
- 1 stalk of scallion, thinly sliced
- 2 tbsp sherry vinegar
- 1 tbsp tarragon vinegar
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp fish sauce
- 1 tsp Fines Herbes Seasoning
- Salt and Pepper
- In a small bowl, add all of your ingredients except for your chicken thighs.
- Use your hands to really squeeze all the ingredients together and rub them against each other, so all of the flavors meld.
- Stab your chicken thighs all over with a fork, so that the marinade penetrates deep into the chicken meat.
- Toss your chicken and the marinade mixture into a gallon-size resealable Ziploc bag.
- Let the chicken marinate in the fridge overnight.
- Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.
- Dump the chicken and marinade into a baking dish.
- Bake for approximately 40-45 minutes, until chicken is golden on top and cooked through.
- Serve.
This looks damn good! And I have 4 beautiful chicken thighs in the fridge 😉
Ha ha! Thanks!! 🙂
Not sure about vinegar being the main ingredient with chicken but you have persuaded me to try it.
Definitely give it a try! 🙂
More like a direct copy of the nom nom recipe rather than an adaptation. Disappointing and not very original. Interesting how you include a copyright statement on your website when you obviously don’t bother applying the same consideration to others. Very poor!
It’s not a direct copy of Nom Nom Paleo’s recipe and you’ll see that I also link to her as a source. Have a pleasant day!
Recipes are public domain so you can be accused of copying someone else’s! Tell that to naysayers like Kris comments
If I do this with chicken breasts, is there a change in the cooking time? In the preparation of the chicken breasts?
Hi April!
Yes, the cooking time would change if you use a different cut of chicken. It would also change if you use bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts or if you used boneless, skinless chicken breasts. I would follow all the steps above, but bake in the oven until a meat thermometer reads 160 degrees. Hope this helps! 😀