Chicken With Garlic and Wine

Rustic Chicken With Garlic and Wine

The Bears have started their preseason, so autumn isn't that far away. It will be different this fall because my housemates are  originally from Wisconsin and therefore they are Packers fans. Sundays may be a little tense when the Bears and Packers play. Maybe a rustic chicken dinner will help. This flavorful French meal is perfect for a fall afternoon.

The key to making this recipe is one of those blueish black roasting pans that are kind of shaped like a football. They are made of steel and are enamel coated with a nice fitting lid. One other advantage is that they are in-expensive as well. If you donʼt have one, go to a K-Mart, or Walmart or any other kind of mart, and get one. Now, don’t argue about it. Just go get one ... Now.

While they are running to Walmart, the rest of us can begin. Let me tell you something. About an hour after you put this in the oven, the house will fill with a heavy smell of garlic and herbs. Donʼt worry, this is a good thing. 

The chicken will cook for three hours. By the time it is ready, the flavors will have blended and mellowed. The chicken and potatoes will have that garlicky French flavor infused into them. When you taste it, you will feel like you just stepped into a bistro in the French countryside. 

Now, donʼt disappoint yourself. This is going to be dinner for two. Make sure that you have an extra bottle of Bordeaux in case you need it. If it wasn’t a special occasion when you sat down at the table, it will be by the time you take your first bite. With a meal like this, why not over indulge on the wine.

Now, donʼt be afraid to eat the garlic cloves with the chicken and potatoes. They are mellow and tasty. I eat them all the time. Eat them, they're good for you.

1 small to medium fryer chicken 

3 celery stalks

1 bulb of garlic - cloves separated and peeled

1 tsp. herbs de provence

Cajun seasoning

1 bottle of dry white wine

olive oil
4 potatoes

Sea salt and fresh ground white pepper

Preparation

Wash the chicken and pat it dry with paper towels. Place a pinch of the herbs de provence in the cavity of the chicken. Rub the chicken with olive oil. Place the chicken in the roasting pan and sprinkle with the remaining herbs and some cajun seasoning. 

Cut the celery stalks in 3 inch lengths and place them around the chicken. Scatter the garlic cloves evenly around the chicken. Peel the potatoes and rub each one with lots of olive oil and then place them around the chicken. Pour a little olive oil over the chicken and then pour the whole bottle of white wine into the roasting pan around the chicken. Season with plenty of salt and white pepper.

Put the lid on the roasting pan and place it in a 300 degree oven. After an hour, lower the temperature to 250 degrees. Roast for a total of three hours. Baste the chicken with some of the liquid every half hour or so.

Serving

Serve a chicken breast and one leg quarter on each plate next to two of the potatoes. Mash the potatoes a little with a fork and spoon some of the liquid from the roasting pan over both the chicken and potatoes. Make sure each plate gets its fair share of the garlic cloves. For goodness sake, make sure all the garlic gets on the plates!

If you are afraid all the garlic cloves won't be eaten, you can take all the liquid, with the garlic and celery, and blend it into a sauce. Then just serve that over the chicken and potatoes.

A salad with a simple vinaigrette dressing, steamed broccoli, a crusty baguette - with extra good olive oil for dipping the bread in - and lots of Bordeaux will round the meal out nicely. Stewed raspberries served over vanilla ice cream would make a nice dessert.