Chicken with capers and rosemary

White-wine vinegar is used here to marinate the chicken; this works with the capers to give a lovely tangy flavour to the dish. Cooking with vinegar is quite common throughout Italy and in France, 'poulet au vinaigre' is considered one of the classics. GL's nonno, from Puglia, carried on adding vinegar (or chillies) liberally to his food even in his twilight years, causing much consternation to his family as Italians seem to think that the elderly should only eat bland, insipid food.

I always empathised with nonno as I've loved the sharp taste of vinegar since I was a little girl, when I would even take sips direct from the bottle if no-one was around. If you don't share my love of the stuff however, don't worry - in this recipe it just adds a pleasing hint of tartness in the background rather than overwhelming acidity.


RECIPE

Serves 3-4

Approx 8 pieces chicken (in the photo I''ve used boneless thighs but I often use drumsticks too)
1 onion
1 clove garlic
3 sprigs rosemary
half a glass of white-wine vinegar
half a glass of dry white wine
1 tablespoon capers
extra virgin olive oil

Peel and slice the onion into rings and put them in a dish with the crushed garlic clove and a sprig of rosemary. Place the chicken on top, pour over the vinegar and leave in a cool place to marinate for about 30 mins.

Heat a little oil in a frying pan (with a lid), and brown the chicken pieces on all sides. When golden brown, pour in the wine, add the onions from the marinade and about half the vinegar and the rest of the rosemary. Cook partially covered over a medium heat for about 20 mins, turning the chicken halfway through.

Add the capers, salt and pepper and leave to cook uncovered for a further 10-15 mins, or until the chicken is cooked. If it looks as though it's getting too dry, add a little more wine, water would be fine too.

Serve the chicken on a plate with onions, capers and juices poured over.