After a long break, I am excited to post my first recipe. After the longest time just being home during the COVID outbreak and cooking more than even I am used too, I found myself merely tired of cooking and lacking inspiration. Traveling first to Austria and wandering around in the Alps, then finally traveling to Italy and eating some fantastic food gave me my energy and motivation. I made this chicken right after returning from Italy for my family with the carrots and beans from our garden. The recipe originated from the Bon Appetite magazine, which I changed a little bit, adding the vegetables, more butter, amongst other things.

Ingredients

1 4 lb (ca. 1,8 kg) chicken, patted dry

2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil

1 medium shallot, finely chopped

¼ cup dry white wine

¼ cup fresh lemon juice

4 Tbsp. unsalted butter, cut into pieces

¼ cup chopped parsley

Salt and pepper

4 carrots washed, peeled and cut into sticks

300 g of green beans

• Butterfly and flatten the chicken; instructions: Place the chicken on a working surface, snip off the wings’ tips. Turn chicken breast side down and use kitchen shears cut on both sides along the backbone to remove it (keep the tips of the wings and the backbone for broth). Turn the chicken skin side up and press on it with both hands until you hear a bone crack. (for a picture guide, see: https://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/chicken-under-a-skillet-with-lemon-pan-sauce)
• Season the chicken with salt and then pepper on old sides. Pat dry one more time and season the chicken with salt and pepper again.
• Preheat oven to 350ºF (180ºC). Heat a cast-iron pan, add the olive oil. Once the skillet is heated, put the chicken skin side down. Take another smaller cast iron skillet, cover the bottom with foil, and place it on top of the chicken to weigh it down.
• Cook for 15 min, lifting and checking until the skin is golden brown and crisp.
• Turn the chicken skin side up and leave in the same skillet. Put in in the oven and roast for 15-20min.
• Cook or steam the vegetables to the desired tenderness. Once done, drain the water and set aside.
• Once the chicken is done place it in a backing dish skin side up and cover it.
• In the same skillet over medium heat, cook the shallot for 3 minutes. Add lemon juice, turn up the heat and add the wine and swirl skillet to emulsify. Turn down the heat and add the butter, cook until butter is molten and combined with the other ingredients. Add the parsley then the cooked vegetables. Cook for another two minutes until the vegetables are covered in the sauce.
• Pour the ingredients of the skillet over the chicken.
• Serve with rice or potatoes