Lemon & Olive Chicken with French Green Beans

 All iPhone 4 photos processed in HDR Pro ©2011 Peter Tooker

 I found this wonderful recipe for Lemon & Olive Chicken with French Green Beans in A Feast at the Beach which was recommended as a delightful read by Julie Mautner at The Provence Post. Written by William Widmaier, the book is a loving account of the author's vacations at his grandparents' home in St. Tropez in the 1960's. William's Provençal adventures were shared by his older brother Stephen, and an extended family of uncles, aunts, and cousins. I won't rewrite Mautner's colorful synopsis of the book here, but I agree that Widmaier's "book is filled with powerful flavors, scents, images and traditions" in addition to recipes for a Sleeping Potion, a few Provençal libations, mayonnaise, pesto, Grilled Shrimps Provençal, and this incredible chicken dish.

Mise en Place

I enjoyed assembling this dish as much as I enjoyed eating it, but neither equalled my husband's enjoyment of the leftovers. Peter went "over the moon" for the reheated vegetables - yes you read it correctly, my vegetable-hating husband, went "over the moon" for vegetables. Yeah! We were recently on the Cape and shared some with a family member and she too raved about the vegetables. By the way, this takes nothing away from the leftover chicken which was moist and wonderful, and used in several salads on subsequent days. It's just that we all found the vegetables uniquely delicious.

This family member said she follows Open-Window regularly and when a recipe is posted she looks first at the number of ingredients before adding it to her "Do Try" list. I don't know what the cut-off is but she has a "do not exceed" threshold for ingredients. My advice for this recipe is ignore any such self-imposed thresholds. This recipe is incredible all around and can be shared or reheated at any time. It's delicious, fun to make and makes me feel very French. 

I've transcribed the recipe nearly verbatum from this book. Having said that I have one very strong suggestion - "mise en place" which means "put in place". Measure and cut all of the ingredients before you begin assembling the dish. You will be ever so thankful that you did. Also, the recipe asks for you to "lightly salt chicken", we would strongly recommend you increase the amount of salt, that was all that was evidently missing in our first pass at this wonderful recipe. Thank you Mr. Widmaier for sharing your memories and especially your Mémé's recipes.

Cook in 400℉ oven for 2 hours

Lemon & Olive Chicken with French Green Beans
(Serves 4-6)

1 large roasting chicken
4 sweet Italian sausages, cut into 2-inch length pieces
3 ounces of salt pork or thick cut pancetta, cut into ½-inch cubes
2½ cups of dry white wine
1½ pounds of fresh French green beans - the long thin kind (haricot vert)
1 large yellow onion, chopped into ½-inch pieces
1 lemon
4 small fresh, sweet red peppers (we used red bell peppers), sliced in half, seeds scraped out, and each piece cut in half again
6 garlic cloves, each cut into 4 pieces
12 black oil-cured olives
2 tablespoons of pine nuts
1 heaping tablespoon of Herbes de Provence
½ teaspoon of fresh ground cumin
¼ teaspoon cayenne
1 ounce pastis, preferably Ricard brand (can substitute Pernod, Anisette, or Sambuca)
Mediterranean sea salt
===================================

• Preheat oven to 400℉.
• Place chicken in a large Dutch oven, ideally a large Creuset model.
• Cut lemon in half, cut a ¼-inch slice from each face and reserve. Squeeze juice from two halves over chicken, making sure to coat as much of the chicken as possible. Take one of the squeezed-out lemon halves and stuff it into chicken cavity. If chicken came with gizzards, place these in Dutch oven outside chicken. Let chicken sit with its lemon-juice coating while preparing the rest of ingredients.
• Take green beans and one at a time trim the very ends off both ends, easily done by hand by just snapping the very tips off. (I cut each end off bunches of the beans at the same time.) Place trimmed beans into a large bowl. When you've trimmed all the beans fill bowl with water and let beans sit.
• Return to chicken and rub Herbes de Provence onto chicken, coating entire chicken, top to bottom, letting any excess fall into Dutch oven.
• Position chicken in Dutch oven breasts side up. Dust chicken with ground cumin.
• Take half of green beans let them drip dry before placing them around chicken, pushing them to the bottom, but not under chicken.
• Take chopped onions and sprinkle them over green beans.
• Take sliced peppers and distribute them evenly around chicken onto green beans.
• Take salt-pork pieces and distribute evenly around chicken onto green beans and stuff two or three pieces into chicken.
• Take remaining green beans and after letting them drip dry, surround chicken with them, covering the previous green beans, onions, peppers and salt pork.
• Sprinkle garlic pieces onto green beans. 
• Place cut sausages evenly around chicken on top of green beans.
• Sprinkle pine nuts evenly around chicken over green beans.
• Spread olives around chicken, over green beans, while also stuffing two olives in chicken.
• Pour 2½ cups of wine around chicken, over green beans but not over chicken.
• Pour ounce of pastis (pernod, anisette, or sambuca) around chicken, over green beans but not over chicken.
• Dust green beans with cayenne.
• Place reserved lemon slices over meatiest part of chicken breasts, one on each side.
• Lightly salt chicken and lemon slices with Mediterranean sea salt.
• Put lid on and stick in oven on middle shelf or as high as Dutch oven lid will allow it to go and still clear.
• Cook for two hours at 400℉.
• After one hour, take the lid off and be careful to let hot steam vent away from you, and with a long wooden spoon stir up green beans just a bit. If most of liquid has evaporated (it can happen if the lid has large gaps - but usually doesn't), add ½ cup of water and ½ cup of white wine. Put the lid back on, and place casserole back into the oven.
• At the end of second hour, take the lid off, and be careful to let vapors escape away from you.
• Serve directly from Dutch oven, as chicken will be too delicate to move. Cut pieces off chicken (it should be practically falling apart) and serve with big spoonfuls of green beans along with all the rest that has acquainted itself well.
• You can choose from a number of different accompaniments for this dish. Widmaier suggests oven-roasted rosemary potatoes (cut into 1-inch cubes, toss with minced rosemary, olive oil and sea salt, spread on a cooking sheet and roast 45 minutes at 400 ℉, mixing occasionally). Or delicious with orzo pasta - just ladle juices from chicken over cooked pasta.
• Serve with warm baguettes, to mop up sauce.

 

As Widmaier says at the end of this recipe, "Mangez lentement, riz, et savourez la belle vie" which means "Eat slowly, laugh, and savor the good life". Sounds like good advice to me.

Comments

[William]

Was delighted to see this blog and all the comments!

[Sally]

Claudia made this for me when I recently visited them over the 4th. It was one of the best chicken recipes I have ever had. After going to the farmers market yesterday gathering some of the ingredients, I indulged in making it this evening. It was as good as I remembered it from Claudia and Peter's. The aromas that fill the house are "the bees knees"!!! This is a must for all who enjoy fabulous aromas and great down to earth food!!

[Claudia]

Sandra, I'm thrilled that you all enjoyed this rustic chicken dish.

[Sandra]

i had a rare day of all 3 of my offspring being here at some point thru out the day - and I suspect my son made it due to seeing this recipe and the fact that i'd cooked it and posted pics...
It was delish!

[Claudia]

Sandra, I sincerely hope you enjoy it as much as we did again this weekend.

[Sandra]

I've made this today - another hour to cook...
Smells wonderful - thank you again...

[Claudia]

S.Hughes making this again this week. Leftover heaven! Thanks for joining in.

[S.hughes]

this looks and sounds delicious - I will be trying it soon - love the photos!

[Claudia]

Ally, pictures may be good but the flavor ... Thanks.

[ally]

looks yummy & I like your photos.
brings it to life and certainly inspiring.

[Claudia]

Let us know what you think, and if you have any suggestions.

[Debra Cobb]

This looks amazing and is just the kind of thing I love to cook. Can't wait to try it.