Honey & Thyme

Tonight's dinner is brought to you by the chef's at The Food Network Kitchens; with some minor changes provided by yours truly.

Delight yourself with a culinary trip to Provence with the romantic scent of honey and thyme.

Provencal Roasted Chicken
with Honey & Thyme

1 3-4 lb whole chicken, cut divided into 8 pieces
1 shallot, finely diced and divided
2 tsp fresh thyme, removed from stems
Zest from 1/2 a lemon
Juice of 1/2 a lemon
3 TB extra virgin olive oil
1 TB honey
Salt/Pepper
2 tsp Herbs d'Provence

Sauce:
the reserved 1/2 of shallot
four sprigs of fresh Thyme
3/4 cup water
1 TB honey
Salt/Pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 425.

Trim the chicken parts of excess fat.

Lay in a large oven proof skillet.

Mix together the olive oil, lemon juice & zest, shallots, thyme, honey, salt & pepper and herbs d'provence. Brush over the tops of the chicken parts.

Place chicken in the oven, uncovered, for about 30 minutes, until cook through (internal temperature should be about 170.) Remove from pan to a warm plate, tent with foil.

Put the skillet over medium high heat. When the pan starts to sizzle, toss in the shallots. Saute, until tender, about two minutes. Add the water and deglaze your pan. Toss in the sprigs of thyme and add the honey. Simmer until reduced about by about half. Serve the chicken on a warm plate, spoon the reduced sauce over the chicken. Serve with Roasted Rosemary Fingerling Potatoes and Carrots.

Chicken is done!

The sauce could have reduced another minute or so...but it was great all the same! The flavor was really great. The honey provides a subtle, creamy sweetness and the thyme a woodsy, herbal aroma that complement each other perfectly!

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I hope everyone has a great week. I forsee this being the only post this week, until maybe Sunday night. Wednesday I work late. Thursday I'm out for a friend's birthday. Friday we're off to a trip to NYC. Stay tuned, you never know what's going to happen upon the return!