Chicken with Vinegar

To cut up a whole chicken, start by cutting the wings off through the wing joints, keeping the drumettes on the body. Cut off the wing tips and save for stock. Pull a drumstick away from the body and slice through the skin connecting it to the body, then along the backbone and through the hip joint to remove the thigh. Repeat on the other side. To separate the drumsticks from the thighs, cut through the joint connecting them. Remove the drumette with a portion of the breast: On one thick side of one breast, start cutting about 2 inches above the drumette at a 45-degree angle to the breastbone down through the joint connecting the drumette. Repeat on the other side. Stand the carcass upright, wishbone down. Cut off the breasts—while keeping them on the bone—by cutting through the rib cage. Save the back for stock. Cut the breasts crosswise through the breastbone into 2 even pieces, about the same size as the thighs.

Heat a large Dutch oven or pot over high heat until hot. Generously season the chicken pieces with salt and pepper. Add the oil and 2 tablespoons of the butter to the pot. When the butter melts, add the chicken skin side down, dark-meat pieces first, along with the garlic. Don’t crowd the pot; work in batches if necessary. Cook, undisturbed, until the skin is golden brown and releases easily from the pan, about 5 minutes. Flip and cook until the other side is browned, about 2 minutes longer. Transfer to a plate.

Add the thyme, bay leaves, wine, and vinegar to the Dutch oven. Bring the mixture to a boil over high heat. Return all of the chicken to the pot and cover. Reduce the heat to medium-high and cook the breast pieces for 10 minutes or until cooked through. Transfer to a plate. Cook the dark-meat pieces for 7 minutes longer or until the meat pulls away from the bone. Transfer to the same plate.