A flavorful roast chicken dish that is simple to make and works well in larger quantities. With so few ingredients you want to use the best: good quality, fruity olive oil and free-range chicken pieces.
These days, it seems almost every chicken in France sports a label designed to imply that it spent its’ days clucking around the farmyard. The terms poulet de grain, poulet au lait, poulet de ferme, and poulet élevé sur prairie are not subject to government regulation and are generally nothing more than marketing hype. Unless you are buying directly from a farmer or a butcher that you trust, look for the term poulet fermier somewhere on the label: it can only be applied to birds with access to the outdoors.
I first came across this recipe in Real Food by Nigel Slater, this is a slight variation of one of his many uncomplicated and comforting dishes.
Roasted Chicken with Basil and Lemons
Ingredients
- Serves 4
- 8 free range chicken pieces, preferable thighs and legs, skin on and bone in
- Olive oil
- 1 lemon
- 4 garlic cloves, whole but slightly crushed
- ½ cup white wine
- Salt and pepper
- A handful of basil leaves, roughly chopped
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F/200°C. Pat the chicken dry with paper towel. Salt and pepper on all sides. Place in a roasting dish in a single layer, skin side up. Generously drizzle the pieces with olive oil so that they are well coated. Tuck the garlic around and under the chicken. Cut the lemon in half and squeeze the juice over the pieces. Cut the squeezed halves into quarters and add to the dish place in the oven. After 30 to 40 minutes. (free-range chicken will need a little more time) remove the roasting dish from the oven, pour over the wine and add the basil leaves, stir a little to coat the leaves with the juices and return the chicken to the oven for 10 more minutes.
- Oven roasted potatoes would be a perfect accompaniment.
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https://www.charlottepuckette.com/recipes/main-dish-meatpoultry/roasted-chicken-with-basil-and-lemons/
