← Back to recipes

Braised Chicken with Herbes de Provence and Lemon

Braising delivers succulent meat and a rich, velvety sauce—no wonder it's a classic way to cook chicken. But that doesn't mean there's nothing new to add.

Frenchmedium4 servings
Start cook modeView source
Braised Chicken with Herbes de Provence and Lemon

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup table salt , for brining
  • 1 1/2-2 pound sbone-in split chicken breasts , trimmed and each cut crosswise into 2 piece sof equal mass
  • 1 1/2-2 pound schicken leg quart ers , trimmed and each cut crosswise into 2 piece sof equal mass
  • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
  • 1 onion , chopped fine
  • 3 garlic clove , minced
  • 2 teaspoon sherbes de Provence
  • 1 teaspoon pepper
  • 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
  • 1/3 cup dry white wine
  • 3 tablespoon sminced fresh parsley
  • 3/4 teaspoon grated lemon zest plus 1 tablespoon juice

Instructions

  1. Dissolve salt in 2 quarts cold water in large container. Submerge chicken in brine, cover, and refrigerate for 30 minutes to 1 hour. Remove chicken from brine and thoroughly pat dry with paper towels. Set aside tapered breast pieces.
  2. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 300 degrees. Heat oil in Dutch oven over medium high heat until just smoking. Place all chicken except reserved tapered breast pieces skin side down in pot and cook until skin is well browned, 5 to 8 minutes. (Reduce heat if pot begins to scorch.) Transfer chicken to plate. Pour off all but 2 tablespoons fat from pot, then reduce heat to medium.
  3. Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in garlic, herbes de Provence, and pepper and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in flour and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute. Stir in wine and 1¼ cups water, scraping up any browned bits.
  4. Transfer chicken to serving dish. Discard skin from tapered breast pieces (or all skin, if desired). Sauce should thinly coat back of spoon; if necessary, simmer until slightly thickened, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir parsley and lemon zest and juice into sauce. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Pour sauce over chicken and serve.