Roasted Chicken Provencal
Ready to turn on the oven?
Fall is in the evening air, but it’s still summer here in Southern Utah. Perfect weather to roast some lemony chicken Provence style. This is not whole chicken, but rather pieces of thighs or legs first dusted in flour and roasted with plenty of shallots, lemon quarters, and garlic, all in an exquisite bath of vermouth.
I’ve made this recipe (all hail and credit to the NYTimes) several times this summer. It’s great for a dinner-party meal as it takes little prep and generates heavenly aromas while your visitors nurse their second cocktail.
The NYT says “the chicken pieces should go crisp in the heat above the fat, while the shallots and garlic melt into sweetness below.”
INGREDIENTS
Yields 4 servings
4 chicken legs or 8 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
½ to ¾cup all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons herbes de Provence
1 lemon, quartered
8 to 10cloves garlic, peeled
4 to 6medium-size shallots, peeled and halved
⅓ cup dry vermouth
4 sprigs of thyme, for serving
PREPARATION
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.
Swirl the oil in a large roasting pan—I used my shallow Dutch oven braising pan to great results—and place the floured chicken in it. Do not cook on the stove. This is all in a cold pan. Season the chicken with the herbs of Provence. Arrange the lemon, garlic cloves and shallots around the chicken, then add the vermouth.
Put the pan in the oven, and roast for 25 to 30 minutes, then baste it with the pan juices. Continue roasting for another 25 to 30 minutes, or until the chicken is very crisp and the meat cooked through.
Serve in the roasting pan or on a warmed platter, garnished with the thyme.
It’s still warm out there. Serve with a green salad and for sure a baguette to soak up the flavorful sauce. Pair with a Rose from Provence or, if you’re feeling lush, an Italian Vermentino.