Best Main Dish Dinner Recipes with Cider Vinegar

By Carl Hanson
January 27, 2020

Cider vinegar gives a tangy brightness to so many of the dinner recipes we love! We've gathered some of our favorite main dish recipes with cider vinegar. We love it in pulled pork, chicken adobo, braised pork, brisket, sauerbraten, and more. Check out the top-rated recipes!

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Lolah's Chicken Adobo

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"My Filipino Mom taught me how to make this traditional dish following the recipe her mother taught her," says foodelicious. "And though I've made a couple of changes, I guarantee they're Mom-approved. 'Lolah' is 'Grandma' in the Philippines, in case you were wondering. Serve over steamed rice."

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Barbacoa-Style Shredded Beef

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Here's a Chipotle-inspired copycat recipe for barbacoa. Beef is slow-cooked with garlic, lime, cider vinegar, and chipotle chile peppers. "Great over nachos, in tacos, and burritos," says Jack Grigsby III.

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Slow Cooker Carolina BBQ

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"Miss the tarheel tradition of a pig pickin'? Then find yourself a crockpot, a big pork shoulder, some cider vinegar, and get cooking!" says coolmonkshoes. "While ground and crushed red pepper will provide the basic heat -- go the extra mile and find some Texas Pete (or Trappey's) pepper sauce to bring the taste of Carolina to your kitchen."

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Cider-Braised Pork Shoulder

Credit: Chef John
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"Chunks of pork shoulder cook low and slow in an apple cider sauce until perfectly tender and sauce has thickened," says Chef John. "This is delicious served over spätzle or buttered rice."

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Kimmy's Favorite Sweet and Sour Chicken

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"Sweet, tangy with cider vinegar, and satisfying. The chicken is stir fried instead of battered and deep fried, and is served with a yummy sauce, bell pepper, carrots, onion, and pineapple over rice," says ad6faith.

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North Carolina-Style Pulled Pork

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"A spicy rub and a zesty vinegar sauce turn pork into a North Carolina favorite," says Doug. "This recipe is delicious, especially when smoked with hickory chips on a charcoal grill."

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Sweet Korean Crispy Chicken

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Crispy-crunchy chicken pieces are double deep fried and served in a sweet, tangy, and spicy sauce, topped with crunchy peanuts. "This sauce is really excellent," says Tracy T. "I have tried other sauces, but the balance of flavors in this combination seems just right. Don't be afraid of the chili paste. It is warm but flavorful."

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Chef John's Cincinnati-Style Chili

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"You'll love this chili if you tend to like foods from the Middle East, the Mediterranean, Greek food, or Indian food, because of the spices and flavor profile," says Chef John. "If you finish this dish off with some diced onions and grated Cheddar cheese like I did, you'll be enjoying what they call in Cincinnati a 'Four-Way,' because of the four components, but feel free to serve as you like."

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Puerto Rican Arroz con Pollo

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Classic island-cuisine, this Puerto Rican rice and chicken dish is loaded the savory flavors of ham, pork, capers, olives, tomato sauce, cider vinegar, and sofrito. "This is a flavorful and delicious recipe," says SunnyDaysNora. "Fabulous rave reviews from everyone! This recipe makes a HUGE amount of food."

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Sloppy Joe Mamas

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Here's a spicy spin on an American classic. Mexican-style hot tomato sauce punches up the flavor of sloppy joes. "I grew up a Manwich kid, thinking they were the same as sloppy joes," says Me Recipes. "I was dead wrong. This is the real deal. Messy, yummy, kid-friendly perfection especially on a cold night."

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Sweet and Sour Chicken Tenders

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This quick-and-easy chicken dish features a tangy sauce with chicken broth, cider vinegar, and a touch of soy sauce. "This is a great recipe to satisfy that Chinese food craving without the grease and thickly battered meat pieces," says MarissaB. "We loved the sauce and how tender the chicken was. And to have as much veggies as we wanted was great."

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Oklahoma Brisket

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"This is absolutely fabulous and so easy," says Susan. "Brisket that isn't dried out can be so good. The bar-b-que sauce is also wonderful and can be used for other meat dishes."

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Sauerbraten I

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Rump roast is marinated in spiced cider vinegar for five days, then seared and braised and served with a sour cream sauce. "The BEST sauerbraten I have ever had!" raves SUGARHOVIS.

 

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Best Bourbon Chicken

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"Bourbon Chicken is traditionally a Southern dish, and after moving to Pennsylvania from Oklahoma, I really missed this," says Rikster67. "This is my own delicious version, spiced up with ginger, fruit juice, red pepper, and a little Southern Comfort! Serve over rice."

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Grandma Nena's Lumpia and Pancit

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"This is my grandma's lumpia and pancit that she has been making since before the family moved to the U.S. when my dad was a child," says LANIBIRD. "She serves her lumpia with a garlic and vinegar dipping sauce. It's very pungent, but oh so tasty. You can make a large batch of the lumpia and freeze it, so you can fry up some when ever you crave it! Spring roll wrappers are the best to use, they are thinner and lighter than egg roll wrappers."

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More Vinegar Recipes

Check out more top-rated main dish recipes featuring balsamic vinegar, rice vinegar, and other vinegars.

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By Carl Hanson