Roasted Chicken Provençal

  In this dish, you will want to eat the shallots and garlic right out of the pan! LOL I found this recipe in the NY Times.  It's rated as one of their "top hits of 2015" so, I thought I'd give it a go. The ingredients seem simple enough - just bringing roasted chicken to a new level of flavors. The sweetness of the vermouth (wine or sherry) added in creates a slightly sweet flavor in combination with the lemon in this dish.  I loved how the shallots and garlic melted into roasted sweet and tasty flavors!  I know next time I will add more garlic to this dish so we have some to smear onto a baguette!  I served this dish with a nice side salad and fresh green beans, it was a hit!  My only tip on this recipe is to not "crowd" the pan with the chicken - I used my 7+quart dutch oven and had 8 skin-on thighs in there - which was probably 2 too many and took longer to cook. Also, when pouring in vermouth, make sure to not pour it directly over the chicken and instead, pour around it. It is important to 'baste' at the 30 min mark in this recipe - I basted all the chicken and the shallots, garlic to make sure they all finished roasting nicely. ~Enjoy! Diane 


Roasted Chicken Provençal

Ingredients:
4 chicken legs (thigh-on) or 6 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons Herbes de Provence
1 lemon, quartered
8 to 10 cloves garlic, peeled
4 to 6 medium-size shallots, peeled and halved
1/3 cup dry vermouth, dry white wine or sherry

Directions:
Preheat 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, 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, wine or sherry to the pan.
Put the pan in the oven, uncovered. Roast for 25 to 30 minutes, then baste all with the pan juices. Continue roasting for another 25 to 30 minutes, or until the chicken is very crisp and the meat cooked through. The more "crowded" your pan, the longer the chicken will take to brown up...and cook through. Serve in the pan. 
​
Recipe Note: 
I used 8 skin-on chicken thighs and it took about an extra 30 minutes to get the chicken browned and cooked through.  

Recipe Adapted from: The New York Times/"The Enduring Appeal Of Roasted Chicken Provençal." by Steven Stolman
​Photos by: Diane Baker for Canning and Cooking at Home