Garlic Chicken Provençal

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 1 chicken, French corn-fed chicken, approx. 1400 g
• 3 bulb(s) garlic, fresh French
• 4 sprigs rosemary, fresh
• 4 sprigs of fresh thyme
• 6 m.-large sage leaves
• 2 small bay leaves
• Sea salt
• 2 slice(s) lemon(s), untreated
• 5 tbsp flour
• black pepper, freshly ground
• Olive oil, good
• Water

Instructions

Working time approx. 30 minutes; Total time approx. 30 minutes

braised in the oven in a roasting pan covered with salt dough

Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F). Use top and bottom heat, no fan/convection. Wash the chicken thoroughly inside and out and pat dry. Mix the salt and pepper together and season the chicken, not too timidly. Strip the washed rosemary and thyme from the stems and insert two-thirds of them into the chicken’s abdominal cavity. Add the bay leaves, which have been cut into the edges, and the two lemon slices. Close the chicken with toothpicks and tie it with a shoelace. Make one or two small cuts on the breast, back, and thighs and push the sage leaves under the skin. Rub the chicken on all sides with olive oil and pepper. Place it on its back in a roasting pan and scatter the garlic cloves (peeled or unpeeled) around and on the chicken. Place the remaining herbs on top. Place the lid on the roasting pan. Mix the flour and a little water with salt to make a tough dough. Use this dough to cover the lid, which will allow the flavor to develop even more intensely. Place the roasting pan on a rack on the lowest shelf in the oven and braise for about 80-90 minutes. A roasting pan with a glass lid is useful here, as it makes it easier to monitor the browning. After 90 minutes, the chicken will definitely be cooked through and the skin will be pleasantly browned and crispy. Remove the chicken from the roasting pan and carve it on a large board at the table. The garlic cloves will now be buttery soft and very mild and can either be sucked dry or spread on baguette slices and served with the chicken. If you have to work the next day, you might want to skip this. For me, it’s the perfect way to prepare a whole chicken without making a mess of the oven, and unlike traditional braising, the skin also becomes beautifully crispy. We like it with rosemary potatoes.