The Enduring Appeal of Roasted Chicken Provençal
The designer Steven Stolman, who is 57, first tasted chicken Provençal as a college student, on a visit to New York with a friend, sitting on bentwood chairs in the family kitchen of a townhouse on the Upper East Side. There were cloth napkins, good china, a Tiffany lamp and portraits on the walls. The whole place was done up in what Stolman calls “classic late-’70s Bloomingdale’s style.”
The chicken was seasoned with spices meant to evoke the flavors of southern France: rosemary, thyme, bay leaf, lavender, marjoram, chervil, sage. It all seemed exotic and wonderful to Stolman, a child of the Hartford suburbs and new to Manhattan. “I thought it was the coolest thing,” he said. The dish and the evening left an impression on him that has lasted for almost 40 years. . .
It is still the coolest thing: chicken dusted in flour and roasted with shallots and lemons and vermouth under a shower of herbes de Provence until it has gone crisp above the fat and wine and lemon juice, and the shallots are melted and sweet. . .
The preparation of the dish is a breeze. Stolman cooks chicken thighs — bone-in for family and close friends, but bone-out for larger groups. “It’s easier for them,” he said. For those who like a mixture of dark and white meat, you could cook a whole bird broken down into component parts. (If you do, keep an eye on the breasts, which are prone to overcooking.)
About halfway through the cooking, ladle some of the roasting juices over the top of the chicken, which helps keep it moist and, thanks to the chicken fat, also crisps it. When the skin has gone tight and golden and the chicken has cooked entirely through, you’re done.
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/05/magazine/the-enduring-appeal-of-roasted-chicken-provencal.html?hp&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&module=mini-mot
recipe:
http://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1017327-roasted-chicken-provencal
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