Braised Paprika-Tomato Chicken Thighs

• 4 bone-in skin-on chicken thighs (about 900g)
• 2 tsp kosher salt, plus more for finishing the sauce
• 1 tsp black pepper, plus more for finishing the sauce
• 1 medium yellow onion (about 2 cups diced)
• 6 garlic cloves, minced
• 3 tbsp tomato paste
• 3 tbsp sweet paprika (see notes on quality)
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 1/2 cups chicken stock, reduced-sodium
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 tsp red wine vinegar, plus a fresh splash after blending
• 1/2 tsp MSG (Accent)
• 5 oz egg noodles, dry (about 70g per serving)

Method

1. 1
   Skin and render

   Pull the skin off all four thighs and set the meat aside. Render the skins in a dry Dutch oven over medium-low, about 10 minutes, until they've given up their fat and gone crisp. Remove the cracklings and leave about 2 tbsp of schmaltz in the pot. Heat the oven to 325F.

2. 2
   Brown the thighs

   Season the thighs with the 2 tsp salt and 1 tsp black pepper. Pat the surface dry before they go in the pot. Brown hard in the schmaltz, 4-5 minutes a side, in two batches if they don't fit with space between them. They are not cooking through - you are building fond. A crowded pot or a wet surface steams instead of searing and you lose the fond. Set aside on a plate.

3. 3
   Sweat the onion

   Add the diced onion to the fat and cook 6-8 minutes until soft and picking up the browned bits from the bottom.

4. 4
   Garlic

   Add the minced garlic and cook about 1 minute, just until fragrant.

5. 5
   Fry the tomato paste

   Push everything to the sides. Drop the tomato paste into the bare center and let it fry undisturbed about 2 minutes until it darkens to brick red. This is the step that makes it taste braised instead of like tomato soup - don't skip it.

6. 6
   Bloom the spices

   Stir in the paprika and cumin, off the heat if the pot is running hot. Paprika scorches fast and turns bitter - 30 seconds is plenty.

7. 7
   Deglaze and assemble

   Pour in the stock and scrape the bottom clean. Add the bay leaf and the 2 tsp vinegar. Return the thighs, halfway submerged. Put the lid on square - fully closed, not ajar. Any part of a thigh sitting proud of the liquid with steam escaping will dry out.

8. 8
   Braise

   Braise at 325F for 65-70 minutes, flipping the thighs once at 35 minutes. The clock is a guide; the real check is a fork - done when the meat gives at the bone but hasn't fallen off it.

9. 9
   Blend the sauce

   Rest 10 minutes. Pull the thighs out and blend the braising liquid smooth (Vitamix, lid vented, start low - it's hot). It should come out the consistency of a thin gravy; reduce on the stove first if it's watery.

10. 10
    Season the sauce

    This is where the dish gets made. Off the heat, season the blended sauce with salt, black pepper, the 1/2 tsp MSG, and a fresh splash of vinegar. The deglaze vinegar cooks off during the braise, so the finishing acid is what wakes it up. Blending spreads the seasoning across more volume than you started with, which is why it tastes flat before this step.

11. 11
    Serve and store

    Boil the egg noodles and serve two thighs over 70g dry noodles, sauced. Put the other two thighs back into the remaining sauce and refrigerate together. Reheat covered at 300F for about 20 minutes - braised thigh microwaves into rubber.