Braised Chicken With Garlic, Lemon & Herbes de Provence

Ingredients

• 3 lb chicken breasts with skin on
• Freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 1 tbsp unsalted butter
• 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 heads garlic, cloves separated and peeled (about 20 cloves)
• 2 tsp dried herbes de Provence, crushed (recipe in files)
• 1/2 cup dry white wine (or use more low sodium chicken broth)
• 1/2 cup low sodium chicken broth
• 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice (zest is also needed)
• 2 tbsp unsalted butter
• 1 tbsp fresh snipped parsley (1 tsp dried)
• 1 tbsp freshly grated lemon peel

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Season chicken with pepper. Heat the butter and olive oil in a 3-1/2-quart roasting pan or deep, oven going skillet with a lid over medium-high heat; add the chicken and cook, turning often, about 10 to 15 minutes or until brown on all sides. Transfer chicken to a plate and drain off all but 1 tablespoon fat from pan.

2. Reduce the heat to medium. Add the garlic cloves and cook, stirring, until they’re starting to color (but not brown), about 2 minutes. Add the herbes de Provence, white wine and chicken broth to the pan; bring to a boiling, scraping up the browned bits in the bottom of the pan.

3. Return chicken to roasting pan, skin side up. Cover the roasting pan, slide it into the oven, and bake for 20 minutes. Baste the chicken with the pan juices. Bake, uncovered until the chicken is tender and no longer pink (170°F for breasts, 180°F for thighs and drumsticks), 20 to 30 minutes more.

4. Remove chicken to a serving platter; cover with aluminum foil to keep warm. Set the roasting pan over medium-high heat. If it looks like there’s less than 1/2 cup pan juices in the pan, add enough additional wine to equal about 1/2 cup. Bring the pan juices to a boil while using a fork to mash the garlic cloves, whisking the pulp into the liquid as you work. Add the lemon juice. Whisk in the butter, 1 tablespoon at a time, until incorporated.

5. Divide chicken among six serving plates and top each serving with some of the sauce. Sprinkle the parsley and lemon peel over all.

6. Serve with rice, noodles or potatoes along with a vegetable.