Vinegar Chicken Thighs with Agrodolce Sauce

Thirty minutes (and up to 2 hours) before cooking, whisk the 1 cup white wine vinegar, 2 tablespoons honey, 4 garlic cloves, and three 5-inch rosemary sprigs in a small bowl until the honey dissolves completely. Set aside.

Season the 3 pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs well with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Place them skin-side down in a single layer in a large (12-inch) cold skillet or two smaller skillets. Turn the heat to medium and let the thighs slowly sizzle, rendering their fat. As the fat begins to render, tuck small bouquets of the 10 to 12 fresh thyme sprigs in between the thighs. Why use a cold pan?
Now leave them alone. I mean it! If you move them too soon, they’ll stick and you’ll panic. They’ll release on their own when they’re deeply golden-brown and the skin is crispy, 20 to 25 minutes.

Flip the thighs and cook for 5 minutes more. Transfer to a plate, tent loosely with foil to keep the chicken warm, and set aside.
Fish out and discard the naked thyme stems from the skillet. Pour off all but 2 tablespoons of the chicken fat.

Add the 2 anchovy fillets to the hot fat in the pan and mash them with the back of a spoon until they dissolve into a paste. You won’t taste anchovy—just a deep, savory thrum of flavor. Scout’s honor.
Off the heat, slowly pour in the 1 cup chicken stock and scrape up all those glorious browned bits. Stir in the reserved agrodolce sauce from Step 1, then plop in the 1/3 cup golden raisins.

Bump the heat to high. Boil, stirring occasionally, until the sauce reduces by about half, 6 to 8 minutes. If you'd like a more glaze-like consistency, reduce it a few minutes more.
☞ TESTER TIP: Hot vinegar fumes are no joke. Open a window before this step and give yourself some distance. Consider yourself warned.
Taste the sauce. It should be assertively tart with pleasant sweetness. If the acid still snaps at you, stir in 1 more tablespoon of honey and taste. Repeat, if needed.

Reduce the heat to a simmer. Nestle the thighs back into the pan skin-side up, cover, and let them warm through and finish cooking, 4 to 6 minutes. Juices should run clear when pierced with a knife.
Spoon the sauce generously over the chicken and rush it to the table. Act appropriately humble, even though you’re a rock star.