Recipe Note

Variations & Ideas:

• Change up your vegetables: The chicken generally takes about 20 minutes in the oven so it's all about experimenting and timing the vegetables to get it all done at the same time. It's a great way to use up veggies in the fridge. A few ideas:

• Kale, savoy cabbage, garlic, and anchovies, finish with grated parmigiano reggiano and peperoncino
• Chestnuts, pears, currant raisins, and cauliflower with Massalis
• Swiss chard, radishes, and seared lemon quarters with Ana

• This recipe is great in the summer with fruit instead of root vegetables. Substitute the vegetables with an assortment of firm-fleshed peaches, apricots, plums, cherries, grapes, plus a large handful of chopped red onion (no garlic), but do not microwave. Use Mishmish or Tangier in the liquid and reduce the wine to 1/2 cup. Can be cooked either in the oven as above, or covered, at a simmer, on the stovetop (in the latter case remove and set aside the skin so it stays crisp). Finish with red wine vinegar and chestnut honey and serve with cilantro, mint, and yogurt rice.

• Pot pie! For this you'll want to use skinless boneless chicken cut into small pieces. Sauté these in butter or chicken fat until browned, then push the pieces to the side and sauté chopped onion until soft, add flour and cook to form a roux, then add chicken stock, chopped carrots, peas, and whatever other vegetables you like, stirring until thickened. 

Great spices to add include Luberon, Vadouvan, or Blue Grass.

Top with drop biscuits or puff pastry, and bake at 350°F until crisp and browned (about 25 minutes)

• A braise: Omit the carrot and potato, double the shallots, mushrooms, and chicken (I prefer either 8 thighs, or a whole bird, cut up), halve the garlic. 

Sear the chicken as usual, then remove the skin and set it aside. Add your fat and sauté the shallots and garlic for a few minutes, deglaze with cognac or armagnac, then add the stock and wine (my favorite for this is tart and mineral rich German Riesling) and cover. 

Cook in a 350°F oven for 1 hour. Towards the end of the cooking time sauté the mushrooms in another skillet (add about 1/4 cup water at the beginning, it will speed browning later), once the liquid has evaporated add a little bit of fat and Pierre Poivre and cook until well browned. 

Stir the mushrooms together with the braised chicken and add crème fraîche until you form a thick sauce. You can also use an additive-free full-fat sour cream but it will not be as silky due to the lower fat content. 

Perfect with Bernise roasted potatoes, which you can cook in the same oven while you braise. 

Garnish with the crisp skin and chopped fresh parsley and/or herbs. Serves 4.

Food images and recipe © Christian Leue. 

Questions? Contact christian@laboiteny.com