Fricassee de Herbes Provinciale

Braising the chicken in a slow oven creates a very tender flavorful chicken with very little time spent in the kitchen. In the spring months everything is so busy on the farm that the kitchen staff are often asked to come to the farm and help out. The farmers still expect a good meal though at the end of the day so the kitchen prepares a dish that is; easy to make, tastes delicious, and is visually appealing.

Ingredients
1 3-5 lb. Free Ranged Chicken (fryer sized)
Salt & pepper to taste
Olive oil or vegetable oil
4 Tbsp butter
1 medium onion, diced small
6 Tbsp flour
3 L chicken stock (homemade is best);

Sachet; (Place the following ingredients in a tea leaf strainer)
1-2 bay leaves
Small cluster of celery leaves
Small cluster of parsley and/or stems
ΒΌ tsp thyme or a few fresh thyme sprigs

Directions
Preheat oven 300 deg.

Cut up fryer into serving pieces

Heat oil in large Dutch oven

Fry onion till golden, remove and set aside

Fry chicken in oil, brown on all sides as much as possible, seasoning with salt and pepper, remove and set aside.

Add butter and flour, stir to brown and thicken, add butter and onion continue stirring till butter is melted, add chicken stock and stir till lumps are removed. Add back chicken pieces and the sachet and place lid on, place in oven.

Continue to braise until the thickest piece of the thigh is cooked through and tender, approximately 30-45 min

When finished remove the sachet and pour juices separately as a gravy over the chicken and potatoes.

This recipe can easily be doubled