Braise the Bird

Our 3.5 quart Dutch oven holds a chicken perfectly, and helps infuse the bird with whatever flavors go in there with it. In this case, they were carrot, onion, preserved lemon, herbes de Provence, ras el hanout, and white wine. Once the bird was cooked, I added shredded kale to the sauce and thickened it with a bit of flour to make it gravy. And that was it- chicken, gravy, and a 2003 Domaine du Banneret CDP, which had lovely cedary and herbal qualities, along with good fruit; 2003 was a tough, hot year but this one is not bad at all.