Chicken Jardiniere

A homey one-pot braise of chicken with lardons, potatoes, carrots, mushrooms, and peas that improves on reheating.

Ingredients

• 4 ounces slab bacon or pancetta, cut into lardons
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 whole chicken (about 3 1/2 pounds), cut into 8 pieces
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 12 small new potatoes, halved
• 3 carrots, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 8 ounces button mushrooms, halved
• 4 garlic cloves, peeled
• 1 cup chicken stock
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 cup frozen peas
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Directions

1. Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven over high heat. Add the lardons and saute for 2 minutes until they render and begin to brown.
2. Season the chicken with salt and pepper, add it to the pot, and saute, turning once, for about 8 minutes until lightly browned.
3. Sprinkle the flour over the chicken and stir, then add the potatoes, carrots, mushrooms, garlic, and chicken stock.
4. Bring to a full boil, then cover, reduce the heat to low, and cook for 45 minutes.

Stir in the peas and cook for 5 minutes more.

1. Sprinkle with parsley and serve directly from the pot.

Notes

Adapted from Jacques Pepin’s Chicken Jardiniere, a dish he learned in his mother’s restaurant as a boy.