Chicken in Tangy Escabeche of Caramelized Onions, Carrots, and Jalapenos
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
2 teaspoons dried oregano, preferably Mexican
Salt
3 (2 pounds total) chicken breast halves, bones and skin intact
2 tablespoons vegetable or olive oil
1 large white onion, cut into 1/4 inch slices
2 large carrots, peeled if you wish and sliced 1/4 inch thick on a diagonal
4 garlic cloves, peeled and halved
1/4 cup vinegar (apple cider vinegar is traditional)
2 to 4 canned pickled jalapenos, stemmed, seeded and thinly sliced
1 cup chicken broth
-
In a small bowl, combine the black pepper, allspice, oregano and 1
teaspoon salt. Sprinkle half of this mixture over the chicken breasts. -
Heat the oil in a very large (12-inch) skillet over medium heat. Lay in
the chicken, skin side down, and cook, turning once, until richly browned,
3-4 minutes on each side. Remove the chicken to a plate, leaving behind as
much oil as possible. -
Add the sliced onion and carrots to the skillet and cook, stirring
regularly, until the onion is browned, abut 7 minutes. Add the garlic and
stir for about 1 minute, then add the remaining seasoning mixture, the
vinegar, jalapenos and broth. -
Nestle the chicken pieces skin side up in the onion mixture, cover the
skillet (a cookie sheet works if your skillet doesn’t have a lid) and simmer
gently over the medium-low heat until the chicken is just cooked through,
about 15 minutes. -
Taste the broth, and season with additional salt if you think it’s
appropriate. -
Transfer a piece of chicken to each dinner plate, spooning a generous
portion of the juicy vegetable mixture over the top.