What I Ate Wednesday #107: Herbes de Provence Roast Chicken {Recipe ReDux}

If you’ve followed my recent WIAW posts, you’ve probably noticed that I’m a creature of habit. Oatmeal with nut butters for breakfast? Daily. Salads for lunch? You can count on it. But dinner is where I like to have my fun. Plus, I have a husband to feed and he’s very much not a creature of habit when it comes to his food. That said, he does love his chicken! I thought this month’s recipe redux would be a good one for him.

You know they are lurking there: Way in the back of your spice drawer. There lie the herbs, spices, or rubs that are getting dusty because you’re afraid to use them… you simply don’t know what to do with them! Well, pull them out and show us a recipe you created to deliciously conquer that fearful spice. (Or maybe the recipe was a flop – and the spice still give you nightmares?!)

We bought some herbes de provence over a year ago for a lamb stew and it’s sat in the pantry since then. How could that be bad on a roast chicken?!

I’ll admit, I enlisted Nathan’s assistance for this one; roast chicken is mostly his domain around here. And it’s always fun to cook dinner together.

Herbes de Provence Roast Chicken with Apricot Orange Gastrique

Serves 4-6

Ingredients

For the Chicken:
– 5-6 lb chicken; butchered into quarters [can sub bone-in, skin-on chicken pieces]
– 2-3 tsp sea salt
– Herbes de Provence
– Garlic powder
– Black pepper
– Extra virgin olive oil

Hardware for the chicken:
– Cast iron skillet [stainless steel would work too]
– Another large, heavy pan

For the Apricot Orange Gastrique:
– 2 tbsp apricot preserves
– 4 dried, unsulphered apricots; minced
– 1 orange; zested and juiced
– 2 tbsp water
– 2 tbsp red wine vinegar

Directions

For the Chicken:
Place the chicken pieces on a cooling rack over a baking sheet. Pat dry with paper towels and sprinkle both sides with salt. Cover with foil and place in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour or up to overnight.

When you’re ready to cook the chicken, preheat the oven to 425°F and heat a large cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Season the chicken liberally with herbes de provence, garlic powder, and black pepper. When your pan is hot, coat with EVOO and place the chicken in the pan, skin side down. Place the extra pan on top of the chicken, pressing it into the pan. This will really give your chicken a delicious, crispy skin.

Let the chicken sit for about 15 minutes before flipping. The chicken should lift up easily but if the skin is sticking, give it another couple of minutes before trying to flip again. After the chicken is flipped place it in the oven to finish cooking—about 20-25 minutes.

While the chicken is in the oven, in a small pot, add all of the ingredients for the gastrique. Bring to a boil and reduce to simmer; the sauce should thicken up nicely, but keep an eye to be sure it doesn’t get too thick.

When the chicken is cooked through, remove from the oven and let rest for about 5 minutes. Plate it up with your sides, drizzle the gastrique, and enjoy!

I served our chicken with smashed gouda potatoes and roasted brussels sprouts. It was the perfect Sunday dinner [with lots of leftovers for the week!]