Oven Chicken

  This is an adaptation of a recipe that my mother cooked for our family... and her mother cooked for her family...  It’s neither oven-baked, nor pan-fried; it’s bit of each technique, melded together. The skin is surprisingly crunchy-crisp and the meat is perfectly tender.

  My mom did not dredge the chicken pieces in the flour mixture, and used water or stock instead of wine, but she always made wonderful gravy from the pan drippings. I have continued the tradition in my own personal way, and am delighted that my family is as taken with this Midwest/white-boy/soul-food that has pleased my heart for so many years. Thanks, Mom!

      1

    1/3

      2 t

  1 1/2 t

      1 t

      1 t

    3/4 c

    3/4 c

    1/4 c

      1

    2-6

    1/2 c

whole chicken, cut into 8 pieces, washed and patted dry

oz. dried porcini mushrooms, reconstituted and drained

(reserve the filtered water)

kosher salt

black pepper, freshly ground

pwd. garlic

dried thyme leaves, crushed

all-purpose flour

corn flour (masa harina) (or another 3/4 c all purpose flour)

vegetable oil (peanut oil preferred)

med. yellow onion, thinly sliced

garlic cloves, thinly sliced

white wine

  Heat oven to 350 degrees

  Combine the spices in a small bowl and shake the flours together in a large grocery bag. On a large platter, sprinkle half of the spice mixture over the chicken pieces on the meat side, flip and sprinkle the remainder of the mix on the skin side. Let them sit for 15 minutes then dump them into the flour bag and shake well, being careful to hold your hand on the bottom of the bag; let sit another 5 minutes, shake well; let it sit 5 more minutes, shake again and let sit for 10 minutes. While the chicken pieces are sitting again, heat the oil in a large, heavy-bottomed/oven-proof pan on high heat. When the oil glistens, carefully shake the flour from each chicken piece, put them in the pan skin-side down and sear for 2-3 minutes until the skin is nicely browned; flip to the other side and brown another couple of minutes. When all are a wonderful color, remove the chicken and pour all but 2 T of the fat from the pan. Sauté the onions for a few minutes; add the garlic, toss a few more times. Put the chicken back in the pan, pour the wine and reserved mushroom liquid between the pieces so that the liquid is half-way up the pieces; cover, and put in the preheated oven.

 
Bake for 45-50 minutes, until the dark meat is fork-tender. The flour will thicken the wine/juices creating a delicious gravy. Remove the chicken from the pan and adjust the gravy by thinning (with stock or water) or thickening (by reduction) as you see fit. Taste and correct the salt and pepper.