Ma's Vinegar Chicken

Ah, yes! Just the smell of this cooking clears your sinuses better than any cold medicine! This sounds like a lot of vinegar, but it really isn't. This dish has been a favorite of mine from my earliest days, and it's a big reason why I've always loved the taste of vinegar. It's a recipe from my great-grandmother, "Ma" Del Medico, who took it from Sicily and passed it on to my grandmother ("Nana" Pacitto), who in turn passed it on to Mom. And here it is, now online as we pass it on to you.
Pans needed: 2 (big cooking pot, smaller pot to prepare the rice). Because this dish calls for large amounts of tomato sauce and vinegar, it is absolutely necessary to use a coated pot, preferably one coated with enamel. Bare metal such as cast iron or aluminum will react to the acids in this concoction, imparting a metallic taste into your food.

Ingredients

  • 4 to 5 pounds chicken pieces (with bones and skins)
  • 1 large onion – thinly sliced
  • 1 teaspoon minced garlic
  • 1 28-32-ounce can of tomato sauce (your choice, Hunt's sauce is fine)
  • 1 28-32-ounces bottle of cider vinegar (more if you like a little more kick)
  • Salt and pepper – to taste
  • White rice – about 1/2 cup per person served (1 cup per person if you really want to serve a huge heaping helping of rice)
In a big cooking pot, saute (lightly fry) the onions in a little oil. Drizzle the oil around the bottom of the pan a couple of times. You only want a little oil, because you're not frying them. Cook the onions until they're translucent, when you can almost see through them and they are tender. Keep the heat on low to medium high so you don't brown the onions. It should take about 10-15 minutes on a low to medium heat. When the onions are almost ready, add minced garlic and stir.
The chicken parts need to be cut or broken into pieces, but you can leave the bones and skins in. Add the chicken pieces to the mixture, and cook in the pot until the chicken is browned.
Empty the tomato sauce into the pot. Fill the empty tomato sauce can with vinegar and pour it into the pot. Mix it all up, and add salt and pepper to taste.
Prepare your rice in a separate pot while the chicken is cooking. White rice goes best with this dish, as it will absorb the flavor of the chicken and vinegar sauce. You can use prepared rice (such as Minute Rice) if you don't have the time or experience to properly cook rice.
Serve over prepared white rice. The sauce can be poured on top, to soak into the rice and add even more flavor.

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