Lemon Herbes de Provence Baked Chicken

This Lemon Herbes de Provence Baked Chicken is classy and elegant while being easy at the same time. Serve with mashed potatoes and roasted vegetables.

Nothing and I mean NOTHING beats the smell of chicken baking in the oven.

I could curl up with a blanket of that scent and take a nap FOR DAYS!!!

And it’s also no secret that Sunday’s are my favorite day of the week. The girls do their chores, I catch up on laundry and Pat watches football. Sounds pretty boring, but I live for boring.

I always make a Sunday breakfast and then a family dinner. It’s sort of a tradition I started because I use to work weekends and then on the weekends I was off, it was important to me that we have one day where we turn on Pandora and the girls or Pat can help me make breakfast, set the table and enjoy each other’s company. I of course don’t mind all the cooking {the dishes are a different matter} but I love sitting at the table with my family before the busy week begins. And who knows… maybe my girls will pass on this tradition to their families.

But of course that’s never going to happen because they aren’t allowed to grow up. Ever.

For this recipe you’ll need a dry white wine, lemon, shallots, butter, olive oil, Herbes de Provence, s & p, flour and chicken. I’m using bone-in, skin-on chicken quarters, but you could use chicken breasts, thighs and drumsticks or a combination of all three, just as long as there’s a bone and the skin is still left on, that’s where most of the flavor is.

This Lemon Herbes de Provence Baked Chicken recipe is pretty flexible and I like flexible.

Prep the Pan:

I add in three tablespoons of butter and drizzle in a couple tablespoons of olive oil into a stainless steel pan. This is a lasagna pan… but I use it mostly for baking chicken. Now I pop the pan into the oven while it’s preheating to 375 degrees. This will get that butter melted and the pan hot.

Meanwhile; in a bag or gallon size resealable bag add a cup of flour and a couple pinches of black pepper.

Drop in a couple of chicken pieces at a time.

Give it a good shake.

Give the chicken pieces a good shake to get any excess flour off.

Voila!

Arrange the chicken pieces into the pan. Carefully because that pan is hot.

Cut a lemon in half and just drop it in.

Peel and halve a couple, 2-3 shallots and drop those in too.

Herbes or herbs depending how you feel about it, is a mixture of dried herbs like basil, savory, fennel, thyme. And from what I’ve read; for the American market…

…lavender is added. Yeah… I thought that was what put the “Provence” in the “Herbes de”… but apparently it’s not. Either way it’s purple, pretty and rocks it out with the lemon.

Sprinkle a few pinches per chicken quarter with Herbes de Provence, kosher salt and a little more black pepper.

Pour in the quarter cup of white wine. I.e. Pinot Grigio.

Then slide this pan into your awaiting oven for 20 minutes.

After the first twenty are up, carefully remove the chicken from the oven, tip the pan and use a spoon to scoop up the wine infuse drippings and spoon it over top of the chicken. Return the pan to the oven for twenty more minutes.

Repeat this step a second time before sliding the chicken in for its last twenty minutes in the oven. {total of 60 minutes}

I must take a moment and explain how utterly amazing the scent is that wafts from the oven while this is baking. Throughout the basting I’d walk over to Pat and say “ohhhhh just smell that… go on S-M-E-L-L it!”… I’m so lucky he loves me.

In my oven I have to start with the pan on the lower third of my oven and then move it to the upper third to brown and crisp the skin. I have the world tiniest oven… and you may not have to do this. Unless you’re in the same tiny oven boat as me :).

That’s it! Lemon Herbes de Provence Baked Chicken!

I was running out of sunlight to show you how to do the pan sauce gravy but I’ve included the recipe below. It’s pretty simple and so delicious!

The skin crisps, the lemon herbes de provence baked chicken is moist and the gravy adds so much flavor from the roasted lemon and Herbes de Provence. It was the perfect cozy meal for a Sunday… or any night for that matter.

Ps. Crispy skin, I love you.

Enjoy! And if you give this Lemon Herbes de Provence Baked Chicken recipe a try, let me know! Snap a photo and tag me on twitter or instagram!

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Yield: 4 servings

Lemon Herbes de Provence Baked Chicken

Chicken legs are roasted with Herbs de Provence, lemon, shallots and white wine.

Prep Time: 15 minutes mins

Cook Time: 1 hour hr

Total Time: 1 hour hr 15 minutes mins

Ingredients

FOR THE BAKED CHICKEN:

• 4 bone-in skin-on chicken quarters, or a combination of thighs and drumsticks
• 1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
• fine salt, to taste
• freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1 tablespoon Herbes de Provence
• 1 whole lemon, halved
• 2 medium shallots, peeled and halved lengthwise
• 1/4 cup dry white wine

FOR THE GRAVY:

• 2 tablespoons fat drippings from pan
• 1 cup pan juices
• 1 cup chicken broth
• juice from the roasted lemons
• Herbes de Provence, to taste

Instructions 

MAKE THE BAKED CHICKEN:

• Drizzle two tablespoons of olive oil into a roasting pan and add in three tablespoons of butter. Preheat your oven to 37°5 and slide the roasting pan into the oven while it preheats.
• Meanwhile, in a bag {or re-sealable gallon size bag} add in the cup of all purpose flour and a couple pinches of coarse-ground black pepper. Close off the bag and shake to combine.
• Drop in two leg quarters, close the bag and shake to coat the chicken. Remove each leg quarter, one at a time, and shake off any excess flour. Repeat with the remaining chicken pieces.
• Once the oven is preheated, carefully remove the roasting pan. Place each flour-coated chicken piece into the roasting pan. Add in the peeled, halved shallots, the lemon halves and pour in 1/4 cup of dry white wine into the pan. Sprinkle each chicken piece with a couple of pinches of Herbes de Provence, kosher salt and a little more black pepper.
• Return the roasting pan to the lower third of your oven for twenty minutes. After the first twenty are up, carefully remove the chicken from the oven, tip the pan and use a spoon to scoop up the wine infuse drippings and spoon it over top of the chicken. Return the pan to the oven for twenty more minutes.
• Remove once more, spoon more of the pan drippings over the top of the chicken and return the pan to the top third of your oven and bake for 15-20 minutes more or until the skin is crispy and golden brown.

MAKE THE GRAVY:

• Remove the chicken to a platter and pour the pan drippings into a two-cup liquid measuring cup.
• Once the juices settle and the fat rises, skim two tablespoons of fat and add it to a sauce pan. Skim the remaining fat off the top and discard, this should leave about 1 cup (or more) of juices behind. Pour in 1 cup {or equivalent} of chicken broth to the pan juices until it equals two cups.
• In the small saucepan with the two tablespoons of fat, add in two tablespoons of all purpose flour. Whisk constantly for 1 to 2 minutes before pouring in the 2 cups of chicken juices/broth. Squeeze in one half of the roasted lemons, a 1/2 teaspoon of Herbes de Provence and season with kosher salt and black pepper to taste.
• Let the gravy bubble while you whisk until it thickens.
• Serve baked chicken with a spoonful or two of gravy.

Serving: 1piece, Calories: 660kcal, Carbohydrates: 28g, Protein: 28g, Fat: 47g, Saturated Fat: 16g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 7g, Monounsaturated Fat: 21g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 171mg, Sodium: 630mg, Potassium: 487mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 1g, Vitamin A: 417IU, Vitamin C: 10mg, Calcium: 51mg, Iron: 4mg

Author: Laurie McNamara

Course: Mains & Entrees

Cuisine: American