Bon Appètit, Y’All
Virginia Willis
I made this dish a while back and while I don’t remember it clearly, I remember liking it a lot. Clearly I’ve been slacking on posting and taking photos of the meals I’m cooking, But, take my word for it, I really enjoyed it. I’ll have to make it again to remember why I enjoyed it, and I’ll add photos once I do. 😁
Ingredients
1 (4- to 5-pound) chicken
1 teaspoon herbes de Provence
3 bay leaves, preferably fresh
Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 large lemon, quartered
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 large carrot, chopped
1 onion, preferably Vidalia, chopped
2 shallots, finely chopped
½ cup dry white wine
1½ cups chicken stock (freshly made) or reduced-sodium chicken broth
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, cut into bits (optional)
Preheat the oven to 425° F. To prepare the chicken, trim the excess fat from the inside of the chicken cavity. Season the cavity with the herbes de Provence, bay leaves, salt, and pepper. Squeeze lemon juice into the vanity and then insert the used lemon quarters. Rub butter over the skin and season with salt and pepper. Tie the ends of the drumsticks together with kitchen twine. Set the chicken in the roasting pan, on a rack if you have one.
Roast chicken for 15 minutes, then decrease the heat to 350°F. Roast for an additional 15 minutes, then add the carrot and onion to the pan. Continue roasting, basting occasionally, until the juices run clear when the thickest part of the thigh is pierced with a knife, an additional 30 to 45 minutes. Remove the chicken to a cutting board and tent loosely with aluminum foil to keep warm. Using a slotted spoon, remove the vegetables to a warm platter and tent loosely with aluminum foil to keep warm.
To make the sauce, remove all but several tablespoons of the fat from the roasting pan and place pan over medium heat. Add the shallots and sauté, stirring frequently, until softened, about 2 minutes. Add the wine and cook until it is reduced by half, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the chicken stock and increase the heat to high, scraping the skillet with a wooden spoon to loosen the browned bits.
Cook until the sauce is slightly reduced, about 5 minutes more. Carve the chicken and pour any accumulated chicken juices from the cutting board into the roasting pan. Decrease the heat to medium. Whisk in the butter. Taste and adjust for seasoning with salt and pepper. Serve the chicken with the sauce on the side
Dinner With Diana 