Here’s an old French peasant recipe that I’ve enjoyed for years. It’s an unbelievably delicious and deceptively plain dish that is brought directly from the oven to the table, piping hot and exquisitely aromatic. It’s best prepared in a clay pot, leaving the top uncovered for the last 15 minutes so it can brown. The best way to eat it is with hearty peasant bread to soak up the mouth-watering sauce. But first squeeze the roasted garlic cloves so their flesh pops out of the skin and then spread them on the bread; garlic mellows nicely when it’s roasted. To make this into a complete meal, add 16 baby potatoes to the pot after 1 hour of cooking. They’ll simmer in the hot broth and will be loaded with flavor by the time the chicken is done.

Ingredients

• 2 whole chickens (approximately 3 1/2 pounds each)
• 2 tablespoons coarse sea ­salt, plus more to taste
• 1 tablespoon freshly ground black ­pepper
• 4 sprigs of fresh ­thyme
• 4 sprigs of fresh ­rosemary
• 4 sprigs of fresh ­sage
• 4 celery stalks (with the ­leaves)
• 4 sprigs of fresh flat­-­leaf ­parsley
• 40 garlic cloves, unpeeled
• 2 tablespoons olive ­oil
• 1 cup Chicken Stock

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 400°­F.

2. Season the chicken cavities with half of the salt and pepper. Stuff them with half of the thyme, rosemary, sage, celery, parsley, and 8 cloves of garlic for each bird. Place the remaining herbs and celery in the bottom of a clay or cast iron pot large enough to hold both chickens. Add the chickens to the pot, coat them evenly with the oil, then season with the remaining salt and pepper. Add the remaining garlic and the chicken stock to the pot, cover, and bake for 80 minutes, basting every 20 minutes.

3. Uncover the pot, season with salt to taste, and continue baking until the chicken skin is crispy, its juices run clear, and its internal temperature is 175°F, another 15 minutes. (This uncovered step is optional; it depends on how you like your chicken.)

4. Transfer the cooked chickens to a serving platter and surround them with the cloves of garlic. Skim the fat from the cooking juices using a large flat spoon or ladle, and pour the juices into a sauceboat. Serve the chicken with the hot sauce.

Other Poultry Recipes

Bastilla
Breast of Duck with a Grape Sauce
Chicken Cooked Under Pressure
Chicken Couscous
Chicken Curry and Peas
Chicken Fricassee
Chicken Grand-Mere
Colin's Roasted Turkey
Foie Gras
Gertie's Famous Chicken
Grilled Chicken
Jalapeño Ginger Chicken
Pappardelle with Grilled Chicken
Peri-Peri Chicken
Poached Rolled Chicken
Spicy Portuguese Chicken Livers
Stuffed Breast of Turkey
Stuffed Cornish Game Hens
Tagine of Chicken
Turkey Chili
Mandarin Chicken Skewers
Chicken Provecal

Video

A Relaxing Afternoon Picnic