Chicken Escabeche with Jalapeños, Golden Raisins and Mint

This chicken escabeche recipe has every flavor you want for a satisfying meal – tart, sweet, spicy, tangy, and fresh. It’s an easy chicken thighs recipe that works for weeknight dinners or fancy dinner parties.

I have a secret to tell you… I lovelovelove vinegar. I like my salad dressings heavy on the vinegar, not that one part vinegar to three parts oil that you usually see. Pickles, all manner of pickled things, I love them. I want that tangy KABLAM! taste.

I’ve been told that my love of autumn is an indicator of this preference in flavor profiles. People who love fall seem to love a pickle. I can’t tell you why.

So, let’s cook some chicken in vinegar sauce! What? You think that sounds weird? Well, you like a vinaigrette dressing, you like ketchup on your fries, mustard on your sandwiches, and malt vinegar on your fish ‘n’ chips, don’t you? So what’s the problem? And with this chicken escabeche recipe, you also get spicy, sweet, and bright. What’s not to love?

What is escabeche?

Escabeche is a way of cooking meat, fish or vegetables with vinegar. The vinegar acts as a preservative, so it was used before refrigeration to keep food longer without spoiling. It’s kind of a cousin to ceviche. It’s a common preparation in southern Spain, and often made with fish. The first time I tried escabeche was in Barcelona at this funky restaurant, El 300 del Born.

The vinegar preparation also means that you can let it marinate in the fridge overnight and serve it at room temp. For this chicken escabeche recipe, I’d recommend just letting the chicken cool down and serving it about 15 minutes after it comes out of the oven so you can still enjoy that crispy skin! It’s a perfect recipe for entertaining because it doesn’t need to be served piping hot.

This is a quick and easy chicken recipe for dinner that only has a few ingredients. You probably have most of them hanging around already, so give it a shot! And we are only going to use one skillet to make this dish. It’s a one pan plan. So here we go!

Related recipes: For more Spanish-style flavor, serve these paprika potato chips and some red vermouth on the rocks while you wait for the chicken to cook.

This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Read my full disclosure policy here.

Chicken Escabeche Recipe

Adapted from Bon Appétit

6 – 8 skin-on chicken thighs

1 tbsp cumin seeds

1 tsp coriander

1/3 cup plus 2 tbsp olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped

1 medium carrot, peeled and chopped

6 garlic cloves, smashed

1 bay leaf

2/3 cup sherry vinegar (or red wine vinegar)

1/2 cup water

1 jalapeño pepper, thinly sliced

1/2 cup golden raisins

3/4 cup mint leaves

How to make chicken escabeche

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees

Slice jalapeños and place them in a non-reactive heatproof bowl along with the golden raisins.

Season chicken with salt and pepper on both sides and under the skin. Pat skin dry and set aside.

Place a large, wide, oven-proof skillet over medium heat. I used my GreenPan for this recipe. Toast the cumin seeds and coriander, just until fragrant and spices have bloomed, about 1 minute.

Add 1/3 cup olive oil and combine with spices. Stir in carrots, onion and garlic cloves, and cook until the onions are translucent, but not browned. 5 – 8 minutes.

Add the vinegar, water, and bay leaf and bring mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer about 1 minute.

Remove bay leaf and pour the mixture into the bowl with the jalapeños and raisins. Stir to combine.

Wipe the skillet clean and place over medium heat, add 2 tbsp olive oil. When oil is hot, place chicken skin side down. It’s best to work in batches of 3 – 4 pieces of chicken at a time. Once skin is crispy, after about 8 minutes, flip over and cook an additional minute or so on the other side. Set chicken aside.

Return the vinegar mixture to the pan, stirring around and scraping up any bits of fond on the bottom of the pan. Nestle all of the chicken back into the pan, and place in the oven uncovered for about 15 minutes, until chicken is cooked through.

Remove from oven, allow the chicken to cool for about 15 minutes. Sprinkle the mint on top and serve.