Vinegar chicken pan-fried with crushed black pepper.

An easy vinegar chicken recipe full of flavor using basic spices like ginger-garlic paste, pandan leaf and freshly ground pepper. 

This skinless chicken thigh and leg recipe is pan-fried or roasted over a stovetop using a wok.

There is no hard to find spices except for the pandan leaf which helps to give this easy chicken thigh recipe its distinct aroma and subtle taste. 

The end result is a juicy and scrumptious one-pot chicken dish. This dish could be eaten on its own, with a salad or with any carbohydrate of your choice. 

 

Ingredients to make the

vinegar chicken recipe.

The spices.

In order to bring out the full flavor of the chicken thighs and drumsticks, I’ve kept the ingredients to a minimum and they are all fragrant spices(cardamom, cinnamon, cloves)to give this pan-roasted chicken recipe its flavor combo.

The marinade

For the vinegar marinade, I’ve used natural coconut vinegar, salt and ginger-garlic paste to give the meat its unique salty, sour, a little sweet flavors.

The chicken parts.

The chicken parts used are a mix of skinless chicken thighs and legs.

I have also made long slashes over the meat, especially the legs to help the meat cook through in the least amount of time, they need to be thoroughly cooked and then pan-fried to give it the dark, crispy outer skin. 

You could also substitute the drumsticks with your choice of the chicken part required and make this recipe.

Cooking method.

A mix of cooking the thighs in its own juices and water then pan-frying it on all sides with a little oil.

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Utensils and appliances needed.

Large Saucepan/Skillet

Chopping Board & Knife

More pan-fried and grilled chicken recipes!

Spicy pan-fried chicken wings in teriyaki sauce.

Stove-top grilled,middle eastern chicken kebabs(shish taouk)

Stovetop chicken satay.

Storing:

Once you’ve pan-fried the chicken parts, refrigerate them in pyrex or a plastic container.

take them out a few hours before serving time, leave it to reach room temperature, microwave or pop them in the oven to reheat over a low temperature.

Freezing: These can be marinated and frozen in small batches to be used within two weeks.

Reheating: Take out from the freezer and let it thaw for about 1-2 hours. once they reach room temperature, follow the recipe to cook them as instructed in the recipe. 

Stop food wastage:

Portioning and cooking only as much as you need can help you reduce food waste.

If you have a few leftovers from this recipe, you can strip the meat from them to add it to your morning breakfast omelet.

The stripped chicken pieces can also be used to make a stir fry with some onions, tomatoes and use as a filling with cheese slices to make a quick sandwich.

How to make pepper-vinegar

pan-roasted chicken.

Please make sure to read the recipe instructions carefully to avoid mistakes.

Ingredients.

Ingredients mentioned below use standard measuring cups and spoons.

For the chicken marinade

700g of skinless chicken thighs and legs.

1 tablespoon of minced ginger-garlic paste

1/2-1 teaspoon of salt to season

1/4 cup of natural coconut vinegar(any mild vinegar such that doesn’t give out a strong smell).

1 tablespoon of sugar

To cook and pan-fry the chicken

3 tablespoons of oil(use only as needed)

A sprig of curry leaves

2-inch piece pandan leaf

1 and 1/2 tablespoon of ginger-garlic chopped or paste(use my ginger-garlic paste recipe)

2-inch cinnamon piece

4 slightly bruised cardamom

2 Cloves

2 large onions sliced

2 teaspoons of freshly ground black pepper

1 cup of water

Salt to season

Method

Have all the ingredients ready. make sure the chicken parts are at room temperature. 

Have the chicken parts cleaned and washed, remove any excess water.

How to cut the chicken

thighs and drumsticks.

Place the chicken on a chopping board, using a sharp thin knife, slice the surface of the chicken thighs and drumsticks diagonally.

 

The thighs can be sliced in a criss-cross pattern but do pay attention when you are slicing the drumsticks, the cuts need to be slightly deeper.

If you removed the skin by yourself, do not worry about the skin that’s a little hard to remove on the bottom of the drumsticks.  

How to marinate the

chicken parts.

Place the chicken parts in a bowl, make sure there is no excess water, add salt(1/2tsp to tsp), vinegar(1/4 cup), ginger-garlic paste(1 tbs), sugar(1 tbs) combine well, cover and marinate the chicken for at least 45 minutes to 1 hour.

How to cook the pan-fried

vinegar chicken.

Place a large wok over stovetop and fire up the stove to low heat.

Pour in the oil(3 tbs) and add the pandan leaf(2-inch), curry leaves(a sprig), ginger and garlic(1 and 1/2 tbs), cardamom(4) cloves(2)and cinnamon(1-inch piece).

Increase heat to medium and temper the ingredients for 2-3 minutes until they release their aroma.

Add the marinated chicken parts into the pan and continue to cook the chicken thighs and drumsticks.

You will notice the meat turning light in color and the slits that you made in the chicken become more visible.

As you cook the chicken, the chicken parts will release their natural stock from the meat. 

Continue to move the chicken parts and cook over medium fire unyil all this liquid is absorbed(10-15 minutes).

Pour in the water(1 cup), season with salt if needed and continue to slow simmer the chicken parts for another 5 minutes over medium fire.

The reason for this is to make sure that all the chicken parts, especially the drumstick which tend to be thicker in the middle to cook through.

Once the water is reduced in half and turned to a semi-thick gravy, add the onions and pepper to the wok. combine well with the chicken.

As the water starts to reduce, the onions(2 large, sliced fine)and pepper(2 tsp)with all the spices will help to form a thicker gravy. 

Keep cooking until the onion starts caramelizing and the chicken thighs and drumsticks begin to sear, pour in 1-2 tablespoons of oil if you need and continue to pan-fry the chicken.

Use a tong to turn over each piece to get an even searing on the meat.

Pan-fry the chicken parts until they are dark, crispy and seared.

Serve warm with a fresh salad and a few slices of garlic bread. you can also serve the vinegar chicken with couscous or a bowl of rice.

It’s free and on the blog, for you to try anytime.

All I ask is that you do not save it on any apps, recipe boxes or online groups which will affect me as a food blogger and the growth of this blog. I would appreciate if you only share the link rather than the full recipe. 

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