When we traveled in Provence several years ago, we bought herbes de provence with the Label Rouge designation. The Label Rouge program is used by the French Ministry of Agriculture to designate products that have met extremely high standards of quality. We enjoyed these herbs with roasted chicken and potatoes, and a family favorite meal was born! Now, when we want to be transported back to Provence and that gentler pace of life, I roast a chicken with some potatoes, carrots, and serve them with either steamed green veggies or a green salad with a lemon-dijon vinaigrette.
Roasted Chicken and Potatoes Provencal
1 whole chicken, fully defrosted if previously frozen
4 medium potatoes
2 carrots
2 gloves of garlic, minced
2 tbs. herbes de provence
1/2 c. water or broth
sea salt and black pepper to taste
Preheat oven to 500 degrees Fahrenheit. Place chicken in roasting pan. Rub herbes de Provence over skin of chicken. Then, sprinkle generously with salt and black pepper. Roast for 15 minutes at 500 degrees, then turn oven down to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. After about 20 minutes, add potatoes, carrots, garlic and water, and return to oven. Roast about 30 minutes more, turning vegetables once to coat with pan juices. The cooking time depends upon the size of the chicken, which should be cooked until meat thermometer reads 170 degrees Fahrenheit when inserted hear the thigh of the bird.
Note: There are different schools of thought on high heat roasting of meats. I use high heat at the beginning of the cooking time to seal in juices and crip the bird’s skin. Then, I lower the heat to avoid drying out the white meat which has less fat in it. You can read more about high heat roasting in Barbara Kafka’s book Roasting.
