French Chicken in a Pot with Drunken Jus
Serve w/mashed potatoes and green beans/steamed carrots.
Ingredients
- 1 (4-pound) whole chicken
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 1 rib celery and green tops, chopped
- 1 small carrot, peeled and chopped
- 1 head garlic, cloves peeled and sliced
- 2 small sprigs fresh rosemary
- 1 large fresh bay leaf
- 1/3 bottle dry white wine (about 1 cup)
- Juice of 1 lemon
Preparation
Step 1
Remove the giblets, then wash and dry the chicken. Tuck the wings back and underneath the backbone until they stay in place. Season liberally with kosher salt or sea salt and lots of black pepper.
Preheat the oven to 275 degrees F.
Heat a large Dutch oven over medium to medium-high heat.
Add 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil to the hot pot and brown the chicken breast-side down first, turn using a wooden spoon or closed tongs placed in cavity.
Once the bird has browned on both sides, remove the chicken to a plate and add the onion, celery, carrot, garlic, rosemary, bay leaf, salt, and pepper, and cover the pan. Sweat the vegetables to make a little pan juice, 5 to 6 minutes, stirring occasionally. Place the bird atop the vegetables and cover the pot. Transfer to the oven with the rack at the oven bottom, and roast about 1 1/2 hours, until a thermometer reads a minimum of 165 degrees F at the thickest part of the bird.
Pour the pan juices and scrape the solids through a strainer into a bowl and return the pan to stovetop over medium heat. Press down on straining solids to collect all of the pan juices. Add the wine to the hot pan, and scrape up the drippings. Pour in the juices and reduce over a rapid simmer for about 10 minutes to concentrate the flavors. Add the lemon juice and turn off the heat. Transfer to a gravy boat or serving dish.
Carve the chicken and serve with pan juices, potatoes, and beans.
Cook's Note: Leftover chicken makes for a delicious addition to any salad, or serve as sandwiches with sliced pears, lemon-dressed watercress, Cheddar cheese, and chutney