French Chicken in a Pot

By Jgerwin

Ingredients

• 1 (4.5 to 5 lb) whole chicken, giblets discarded
• salt and pepper
• 1 TBLS olive oil
• 1 small onion, chopped medium
• 1 small celery rib, chopped medium
• 6 garlic cloves, peeled
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 sprig fresh rosemary
• 1/2 to 1 tsp lemon juice
• To make gravy,
• add flour, lemon juice, salt and pepper

Details

Servings 4

Preparation

Step 1

Adjust oven rack to lowest position and heat oven to 250 degrees. Pat chicken dry with paper towels, tuck wings behind back, and season with salt and pepper. Heat oil in Dutch oven over medium heat until just smoking. Add chicken breast side down, scatter onion, celery, garlic, bay leaf and rosemary sprig around chicken. Cook until breast is lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Using wooden spoon inserted into cavity of bird, flip chicken breast side up and cook until chicken and veggies are well browned, 6 to 8 minutes.

Off heat, place large sheet of aluminum foil over pot and cover tightly with lid. Transfer pot to oven and cook chicken until breast registers 160 degrees and thighs register 175 degrees, 1 hour 20 minutes to 1 hour 50 minutes.

Transfer chicken to carving board, tent with foil, and let rest for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, strain chicken juices from pot through fine-mesh stainer into fat separator, pressing on solids to extract liquid, discard solids. Let juices settle for 5 minutes, then pour into saucepan and set over low heat. Add flour to thicken up gravy, add lemon juice, salt and pepper to taste.