French🥩 Meat

Chicken in Vinegar Sauce Bocuse Style

Name: Chicken in Vinegar Sauce Bocuse Style
Total time: 45 min
Cuisine: French
Ingredients: chicken breast; butter; 250 ml aged red wine vinegar; shallots; thyme; 1 bay leaf; black pepper; salt

⏱ 45 min

A classic French recipe from Paul Bocuse's "The Complete Bocuse". This dish showcases Bocuse's philosophy of using top-quality ingredients with simplicity. Tender chicken is gently colored in butter, then roasted in the oven, finished with a rich vinegar sauce made from aged red wine vinegar and butter.

Adapted from a video by French Cooking Academy

Chicken in vinegar sauce Bocuse style

Watch on YouTube

Ingredients

chicken breast
buttergood quality French butter, divided—some for cooking the chicken, some for finishing the sauce
aged red wine vinegarmust be aged red wine vinegar, typically barrel-aged250 ml
shallots
thymea few sprigs
bay leaf1
black pepperto taste
saltto taste

Steps

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1
Melt butter in a copper or quality sauté pan over medium heat. When the butter begins to foam gently, add the chicken and allow it to take on a light color—do not sear aggressively.
2
Cook for approximately 5 minutes per side until the chicken develops a light blonde color. Ensure the butter does not brown. After about 10 minutes total, turn off the heat.
3
Add fresh thyme sprigs and a bay leaf to the pan, cover with a lid, and transfer to a preheated conventional oven at 210°C (approximately 410°F). Bake for 20 minutes.
4
When the chicken is cooked, carefully remove it and place on a serving tray. Cover with some pan juices and keep warm in the oven with the door ajar.
5
Place the pan with the remaining cooking liquid on the stovetop over high heat. Evaporate any excess liquid until only butter and concentrated chicken juices remain.
6
Add the chopped shallots to the butter mixture and gently cook for about 5 minutes until tender and fragrant.
7
Pour in the aged red wine vinegar and keep the heat high. Allow the vinegar to reduce by half.
8
Once reduced, turn off the heat completely. Finish the sauce by swirling in fresh butter pieces, stirring gently with a spoon until the sauce becomes thick and takes on a rich, shiny red-butter appearance.
9
Taste the sauce and adjust seasoning with black pepper and salt to taste. If the vinegar flavor is too intense, you may dilute it slightly with some reserved chicken cooking juices (do not reheat).
10
Plate the warm chicken and spoon the vinegar-butter sauce generously over the top. Serve immediately.

Chicken in Vinegar Sauce Bocuse Style

Ingredients

Steps

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