Vinegar-Braised Chicken with Leeks and Peas

This French bistro-inspired chicken recipe from Food and Wine delivers everything you want for a low effort yet delicious and comforting weeknight meal. The bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs are browned until golden, then nestled into a luscious sauce brightened and balanced with white balsamic vinegar and finished with herbs and crème fraîche. Sweet, meltingly creamy leeks and bright green peas add freshness and balance the richness of the dish. If you don’t have tarragon, use fennel fonds or add a tiny pinch of anise seed to replicate its signature sweet, licorice-like flavour.


6 Bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs Salt Freshly milled black pepper 2 tbsp Chicken schmaltz 600 g Leeks, white parts only and cut into 1-inch pieces 240 ml Chicken broth 3-4 tbsp White balsamic vinegar 250 g Frozen peas, thawed 2 tbsp Chopped tarragon (I used frozen one) 2 tbps Chopped parsley 150 g Crème fraîche

Preheat the oven to 210C/410F. Season the chicken thighs generously with salt and pepper.
In a large skillet, melt chicken schmaltz. Add the chicken thighs, skin side down, and cook over high heat until browned, 5-8 minutes. Turn and cook the chicken for 1 minute. Remove to a plate. In the same skillet, cook the leeks over high heat until just beginning to soften, about 2 minutes. Add the broth and vinegar and bring to a boil. Season with salt and pepper. Pour the mixture into a roasting pan or a casserole dish.
Set the chicken on the leeks, skin side up, and roast for about 25 minutes, until it is cooked through. Turn on the broiler and broil for about 2 minutes, until the skin is golden and crisp. Transfer the chicken to a platter.
Place the roasting pan or casserole dish over a burner and boil over high heat until the liquid is reduced by half, about 5 minutes. Add the peas, herbs and crème fraîche and simmer until the sauce is hot and slightly thickened, about 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Pour the sauce over the chicken and serve.

28 comments:

My name is Erika. 6/10/26 14:27: When I read the title I thought the sauce was almost all vinegar. Thank goodness it's not, and these ended up sounding really delicious.
DEZMOND 6/10/26 15:19: I eat peas at least two times a week!
Lori 6/10/26 15:24: For some reason chicken thighs was always my least favorite but I have to say they have really been growing on me. They are so versatile.
speedy70 6/10/26 17:51: Splendido questo pollo con i porri!!!!
Tom 6/10/26 18:58: Chicken and green goodness.
DVArtist 6/10/26 19:19: This is a mouth watering recipe. One I will try. Thank you for the recipe.
Pam 6/10/26 19:25: What a great combination of flavors. I love vinegar!
Anne in the kitchen 6/10/26 19:25: Oh wow! This sounds incredibly delicious and is a beautiful dish.
Linda's Relaxing Lair 6/10/26 23:59: The presentations are lovely!
J.P. Alexander 7/10/26 01:04: Gracias por la receta. . Te mando un beso.
Balvinder 7/10/26 04:09: I love the simplicity of this recipe. The combination of vinegar braised chicken with peas and leeks sounds wonderful.
Tandy | Lavender and Lime https://tandysinclair.com 7/10/26 05:50: Chicken and tarragon are a perfect match!
Margaret D 7/10/26 06:48: Looks good and I bet it tastes lovely. I love peas.
Ruby Rose and the Big Little Angels 3 7/10/26 08:07: It is perfectly plated
Garfield 7/10/26 08:12: Você acabou com as galinhas do seu país; você cozinhou todas elas. rsrsrsrs

Nova Tirinha Publicada. 😼

Abraços 🐾 Garfield
eileeninmd 7/10/26 11:56: Hello Angie,
Thanks for sharing another delicious chicken recipe.
My hubby loves the chicken thighs.
Take care, have a happy day!
David M. Gascoigne, 7/10/26 12:36: You just reminded me that I need to buy leeks to make soup. 😃
DeniseinVA 7/10/26 17:58: Looks fabulous and must taste great!
smakolykinadiecie 7/10/26 19:30: O kurczaki! Ależ interesujący pomysł! Aż ślinka leci!
Bill 7/10/26 21:20: This sounds delicious. I love vinegar, we just had peas tonight and leeks yesterday.
roentare 7/10/26 23:05: Vinegar in this recipe so good
Lowcarb team member 8/10/26 00:11: I do enjoy a recipe which uses bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs and this looks and sounds very tasty.

All the best Jan
peppylady (Dora) 8/10/26 02:47: Interesting sounding dish.
Laura. M 8/10/26 14:50: Uno de mis platos favoritos. Gracias.
Un abrazo.
Ben | Havocinthekitchen 8/10/26 22:58: Looks delicious, Angie! I love the combination of tangy vinegar, sweet leeks, and peas.
Sherry's Pickings 9/10/26 03:17: i do enjoy chicken thighs! what an interesting idea to use vinegar for this dish!
Pattie Tierney 9/10/26 16:29: This looks yummy, and perfect for fall. I am growing my own leeks this year, so I will have plenty to use to experiment with recipes and I think this is going to be one of them.
Frank | Memorie di Angelina 10/10/26 15:32: Yum! I could eat this for days. Those mellow flavorings and especially the creme fraiche finish sound divine.