Red Wine Marinated Chicken

For the Marinade;

1 cup dry red wine

1/2 cup red-wine vinegar

3 garlic cloves, minced and mashed to a paste with a pinch of salt

1 Tbsp. Dijon-style mustard

In a large shallow dish whisk together the wine, vinegar, garlic paste, mustard and pepper to taste

8 chicken thighs or drumsticks (about 2 lbs.)

1 large egg

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. dried thyme, crumbed

Vegetable oil for frying the chicken

2 large onions, sliced thin

Arrange the chicken, pricked in several places with a fork, in one layer in the dish. Let it marinate, covered and chilled, turning it once, for a least 3 hours or preferably overnight. Drain it, reserving 1/2 cup of the marinade and discarding the rest. In a shallow dish whisk together the egg and the reserved marinade. In another shallow dish, stir together the flour, salt, thyme and pepper. Dip the chicken in the egg mixture, letting the excess drip off. Dredge it twice in the flour mixture to make a thick coating, shaking off the excess each time. Reserve the remaining flour mixture. Let the chicken stand in one layer on a wire rack for 15 minutes. In a large skillet, preferably cast iron, heat 1 inch of the oil to 375 degrees and fry the chicken 1 minute on each side. Reduce to 300 degrees and fry the chicken uncovered for 20 - 25 minutes or until cooked through, and drain on paper towels. Dredge the onions in the reserved flour mixture, shaking off the excess and fry at 375, turning carefully for 5 minutes, or until lightly golden. Transfer to a paper towel to drain and sprinkle with salt to taste. Mound the onions in the middle of a large platter and arrange the chicken around them.

This is a tip from one of our readers: She says she cheated a little and pan-fried the thighs instead of deep frying them, but the results were still wonderful. She also suggested trying chicken breasts. Also commented to make sure you do the onions, as they are an added treat and worth the effort.