Chicken Provencale

I've been away from my blog for awhile as it's been a very frenetic December for Becky and I. First, Becky's mom (the second best cook in Bloomington) had to have heart surgery to repair a leaking valve. Then my dad fell down the stairs at his house and broke his hip. Ironically both surgeries took place on December 6, albeit at different hospitals. And with even more irony, they ended up in the same place for rehab....right across the hall from each other.

This Steven Stolman recipe was going to be the subject of my December 8th blog, but life got in the way. This is an incredibly easy recipe to prepare. And while indeed very simple to prepare, the complex flavors in this dish will astound you! I liked it so much that I have cooked it twice this month. And I strongly encourage you to serve this meal with a nice, crusty baguette. Every drop of juice in the bottom of the pan must end up in your mouth.

While the recipe calls for a whole chicken cut into parts, it's very easy to scale it. The first time I cooked it, I just used two, bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts. So use a whole chicken or just your family's favorite parts.


Ingredients
1 whole chicken, cut into 8 parts
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons herbs de Provence
1/2 lemon, cut into slices
10 garlic cloves, peeled
6 shallots, peeled and halved
1/3 cup dry vermouth
4 sprigs of thyme, for garnish


Directions

1. Heat oven to 400 degrees. Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Put the flour in a shallow pan and lightly dredge the chicken in it, shaking the pieces to remove excess flour.
2. Swirl the oil in a large roasting pan, and place the floured chicken in it. Season the chicken with the herbes de Provence. Arrange the lemon, garlic cloves and shallots around the chicken, then add the vermouth to the pan.
3. Put the pan in the oven and roast for 30 minutes, then baste it with the pan juices. Continue roasting for another 30 minutes. Then serve in the pan garnished with thyme.

Wine pairing: Merlot

Grogs and Goldie, 1956