Rotisserie Chicken Provençal
Traditional oven-roasted chicken is the ultimate comfort food one-pan meal: herbed chicken sitting on a bed of potatoes and vegetables, embellished with garlic, white wine, and olive oil.
To pull off this variation on the classic, you need a rotisserie. Most gas grills have them, or you can buy one to attach to them. The Weber Kettle and a few other charcoal grills sell rotisserie attachments as well.
On a rotating spit, you can get the bird golden and crisp on all sides, not just the top, give it a wisp of smoke, and keep it juicy as it self-bastes. Drippings collect in a pan below that holds the veggies. They simmer at first in the wine, and when it boils off, they will fry in the oil. Start with whatever vegetables you love and whatever are fresh. Firm foods work best: potatoes, squash, Brussels sprouts, carrots. Cut everything to about the same size so they will cook at about the same rate, and don’t crowd the pan.
Makes 4 servings
Takes about 3 hours to dry brine, about 30 minutes to prep, and up to an hour to cook
- 1 (3- to 4-pound) whole chicken, with a giblet pouch
- 12 Brussels sprouts
- 4 carrots, peeled
- 4 large potatoes, peeled
- 2 white or yellow onions
- 1 fennel bulb, cored
- 6 garlic cloves
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 1 cup dry white wine (see Notes)
- 1¾ teaspoons kosher salt
- 3 tablespoons herbes de Provence (see Notes)
- 12 pitted Kalamata olives
- 2 tablespoons honey
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley or chives, for garnish
1. Prep. Before dry brining, pour any juices from the cavity of the bird into a 9-by-13-inch baking pan. If you have a dark pan, use it (see sidebar, page 306). Open the pouch, remove the liver, and freeze it for another use. Toss the rest of the giblets and the neck in the pan. Snip off the wing tips from the chicken and toss them in the pan with the giblets. Chop the Brussels sprouts, carrots, potatoes, onions, and fennel into bite-size chunks. Toss them in. Coarsely chop the garlic and throw it in, too. Pour in the oil and toss the veggies to coat them. Make sure there is a thin layer of oil in the pan. Add the wine. If needed, add enough water so that the liquid in the pan is about ¼ inch deep. Place the pan in the refrigerator to chill.
2. Sprinkle the chicken with salt and the herbes de Provence. Dry brine the chicken in the fridge for 1 to 3 hours. Tie the drumsticks together with butcher’s twine so they don’t flop around and fall off as they cook. Cover the wings with foil so they don’t burn because they will be closest to the heat. Refrigerate until ready to cook.
3. Fire up. Preheat the grill. Shoot for a temperature of about 325°F near the bird. On a gas grill, if you have a rotisserie burner, fire it up and put the lower burners on as low as possible. Mount the bird on the spit and if there is a counterweight, set it to offset the wobble of the bird. Turn on the motor. Place the drip pan holding the veggies under the chicken. If you wish, put some wood near a hot burner for a kiss of smoke.
On a charcoal grill, push most of the coals to the left and right sides of the bird, but leave a few under the drip pan. Place the chicken on the spit over the pan with the veggies and turn it on. Make sure the top vent is open and the bottom is at least half open.
4. Cook. Close the lid and, as the water evaporates, keep an eye on the veggies. Once the water is gone, depending on how hot the grill is and where the heat is coming from, they can go from brown to black in a hurry. When the vegetables brown on one side, toss and turn them with a spatula or tongs. They’re done when they are fork-tender. If they’re done and the chicken needs more time, add a little water. You want the water to evaporate and the veggies to fry just before you serve them.
5. Just before removing the veggies from the heat, throw in the olives, drizzle in the honey, and stir. Taste, and season with salt and pepper as needed.
6. Serve. When the breast meat hits 160°F, remove the spit with gloves on both hands and carefully remove the bird from the spit. Cut the chicken into quarters. Spoon the veggies onto serving plates and top each serving with a chicken quarter. Garnish with the parsley.
Notes: You can substitute chicken stock or water for the wine and the dish will still be wonderful.
Herbes de Provence is a traditional seasoning blend from the south of France. Usually it’s a mixture of dried rosemary, thyme, oregano, savory, marjoram, and sometimes lavender. If you can’t find it, you can use Simon & Garfunkel Rub (page 168).
