FANCY SHMANCY CHICKEN

Good for a special night. Looks tricky but you simply can't mess it up.  Choose your cooking pan* before you start cooking - make sure the chicken will fit in the pan without overlapping!

INGREDIENTS: chicken parts (I prefer breast but thighs are good too) with skin and bone still on!
chopped shallots (or an old onion-no one will know), lemon juice real or from a bottle (1/4 cup?), chicken broth, carrots (chopped or get those "baby" carrots), chopped fresh or dried parsley, a spoon of creme fraiche (real fancy) or greek yogurt or heavy cream, 1 cup of white wine - any old white wine you can find in the back of the cabinet will do as long as it's not "dessert wine." Use "cooking wine" if you must.

preheat oven to 350
pat chicken dry and sprinkle salt and pepper on it. 
In a pan* (with high sides) that can go in the oven, heat about a tablespoon or so of oil on medium high heat until it's very hot but not smoking!  put chicken in pan - don't crowd - and brown for a couple of minutes on both sides. Place browned chicken on a plate until all chicken is browned.  


pour off any excess oil from pan and lower heat to low/medium low.  Add a bit of butter to pan and saute the chopped shallots with a bit of salt for about  5 minutes - don't burn..do this slowly. 


Add chicken (skin side up), juice from plate, carrots (like a handful), wine, and enough chicken broth to come up to the sides of the chicken. Turn up heat and bring to a boil. Then turn down and simmer (gentle but affective bubbling) for about 3 minutes-reducing the liquid to about 1/2.  COVER and place in oven.
(Note: at this point you can stir in a spoonful of dijon mustard and some dried tarragon or leave as is)


(Chicken can braise like this forever but it will taste best and be tender and delicious after about 25-35 minutes.  If you aren't quite ready to eat, turn temp down to 275 and let it sit in oven covered until you're ready.)


Using POTHOLDERS, carefully lift pan out of oven without sploshing. Stir in lemon juice, cream or yogurt, throw on parsley and VOILA!  (vw-ah-la!)
You can serve this with French bread or make some boiled potatoes (small potatoes, put in pot, boiled for about 15 minutes).  Just be sure to fling the chopped parsley and lemon around like a crazy French person and keep shouting VOILA! VOILA! and everyone will admire and respect you forever.