Bone-In Chicken Thighs (孜然雞肉)

Ingredients

• 2 lb bone-in, skinless chicken thighs, See Note 1
• 2 ½ tbsp distilled white vinegar
• 2 tbsp olive oil or neutral oil, such as grapeseed oil
• 1 tbsp cumin seeds
• 1 ½ tsp kosher salt, or 1 ¼ tsp fine sea salt or table salt
• 1 tsp crushed red chili flakes, plus more to taste
• ¾ tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tbsp ketchup

Instructions

1. Optional (but optimal) marination: Place the chicken in a medium bowl and toss with everything but the ketchup. Cover the bowl and let it marinate at room temperature for up to 2 hours; or in the refrigerator up to 24 hours. If skipping the marinade, start with the next step.
2. Heat a large, wide pan or Dutch oven with lid over medium heat. Add the marinated chicken and its juices (if you didn’t marinate, add all of the ingredients except the ketchup to the pan). Mix well to combine, then spread out the chicken pieces into a single layer.
3. Reduce the heat to low or low-medium to maintain a gentle simmer.
4. Cover the pan and cook, tossing halfway through, until the chicken is fully cooked, about 25 minutes.
5. Increase the heat to high. Bring the remaining liquid in the pan to a boil and cook until most of it has evaporated (~5-6 minutes). Stir in the ketchup. Sauté, stirring only as necessary to allow the chicken to lightly sear (~2 min). Once the moisture has completely evaporated, turn off the heat. Serve immediately.