Recipe: Provencal Chicken in the Pot

Proven al Chicken in the Pot
Source: Chef June

The French would call this dish "Le Plat Unique," because it is a whole meal in one pot. Although its execution is realistic for a twelve-year-old, the results are impressive enough for even your most discriminating guests. And, to top it off, it's incredibly low in fat because the chicken steams atop the garlic, herbs and liquid.
Makes 4 to 6+ servings

1 4-pound frying chicken
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Bouquet garni (include thyme, parsley stems, rosemary, marjoram, bay leaf)
1 cup extra-virgin olive oil
40 unpeeled cloves of garlic
Bed of fresh herbs for the pot (should include: 1 bay leaf, the leafy top of a whole bunch of celery, a whole bunch of flat-leaf parsley, several sprigs each of marjoram, rosemary, sage and thyme -- and summer savory and lavender greens, if you can find them)
1 cup dry white wine
12 small all-purpose potatoes (about the size of a silver dollar)
12 - 16 small white onions
4 carrots, peeled and cut into chunks
1 pound fresh peas, shelled (or 1 10-ounce package frozen)
2 tablespoons flour and 1 tablespoon water paste to seal the lid
Cr utes (below) for serving

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Make a mixture of salt and pepper in a small bowl.

Use this to generously season the interior and exterior of a 4-pound fryer.

Tie a bouquet garni together with string and put it inside.

Pour 1 cup of olive oil into a large (about 9 quarts) Dutch oven with a lid. Add the bed of herbs and all of the garlic.

Set the prepared chicken on this bed and turn it over and over in the already perfumed oil. Add the dry white wine.

Scatter the vegetables around on top of the bed of herbs.

Then with all the oil, wine and aromatics below and the chicken and vegetables on top, put the lid on and seal it "hermetically" with a band of flour and water paste.

Bake 1 hour and 30 minutes in the preheated oven.

Remove from oven and allow the Dutch oven to sit undisturbed for 15 to 20 minutes. Do not lift the lid!

In preparation for serving, put a small serving bowl (for the garlic) and a slotted spoon on the table.

A pair of poultry shears is the easiest tool to use for cutting the hot chicken into serving pieces.

A sturdy wooden spoon will help you hold the chicken still for cutting without burning your fingers.

Carry the Dutch oven to the table and lift off the lid at the moment of serving, and take a deep breath. The aroma is incredible!

Serve with toasted slices of bread, which each diner will spread with the incomparable garlic pur e. Don't be surprised. The chicken will not be browned.

Wine Tip: A Proven al white wine tastes best with this dish especially a white Ch teauneuf-du-Pape. A floral Viognier would also be delicious.

Teacher's Tip: When you have eaten all the chicken, vegetables and garlic, you will find yourself with a large pot of herbs and a chickeny, garlicky wine-flavored stock.

You can make a wonderful soup the next day (or several days hence) using this as a base.