French Country Chicken

This recipe is from Hollie Phuong-Hong Nguyen (Vietnamese Home Cooking Enthusiasts) 

 French Country Chicken is a favorite in my family, but I don’t make it often because the amount of prep work involved. The aroma of the herbs de Provence, fresh thyme, baked up with all the veggies and those bacon bits.

1. 3 small Cornish hens. Wash and rinse well inside and out. Pat dry. Use a fork and pierce all over the birds. Rub with some Kosher salt, sugar, ground black pepper, and herbs de Provence. Cover and let marinade for at least 4 hours or overnight in the fridge.

2. Bacon cut into small pieces and brown until golden brown.

3. White mushrooms, washed and slice into 1/4” thick. Set aside.

4. White pearl onions, peeled. In a skillet, add some bacon drips and brown the onions. Remove into a bowl and set aside.

5. Carrots, peeled and diagonally sliced into 1/4” thick. In the same skillet, add some bacon drips and brown both sides of the carrot slices. Remove into a bowl and set aside.

6. Baby yellow or new potatoes, peeled and washed. Blanche for 5 minutes and strained.

7. In the same skillet, add some bacon drips and brown the potatoes. Remove into a bowl and set aside

8. In the same skillet, add some bacon drips and brown the birds on both sides. Remove and set aside.

9. Preheat the oven at 350F. In a large roasting pan (large enough to fit my birds and all my veggies, and I like lots of veggies ), arrange the birds and all veggies mixed together and the bacon bits. Tuck a couple of the thyme sprigs inside the cavity of the birds. Add a few more on top. Sprinkle with a few pinches of salt, a few pinches of sugar, and some herbs de Provence. Seal the pan tightly with aluminum foil. Bake for 1 hour.

*NOTES: 
. Use butter if you don’t want to use bacon drips.
. Use chicken if you prefer, but I like Cornish hens and they are easy to serve whole or half.
. Quantity of ingredients are all up to your need and servings.

. Baking time will vary depends on how many birds you use. My rule of thumb for Cornish hen is 10 minutes for every pound at 350F degrees. That’s the tenderness my kids prefer. Adjust accordingly to your preference.