As a new year approaches,  I love listening to a summary of what was popular the past year. As a teen, I liked to listen to Casey Kasem count down America’s top songs. I recently listened to NPR’s Terry Gross list the top books, movies and streamed television shows for 2015. But even more exciting, The New York Times printed the top saved recipes for 2015!

The top recipe, a roasted chicken dish, caught my eye and was the first meal I made after taking a much needed break from cooking. Juicy and comforting, this meal  was perfect for a cool winter evening. I served the chicken with oven-roasted purple potatoes and steamed broccoli.

Not everyone is a fan of bone-in, skin-on chicken, but the skin and bones add flavor and help the meat retain moisture. You can use whole chicken legs or chicken thighs and drumsticks, as I did. The chicken benefits from a bit of cooking space and will also cook faster, so use a large roasting tray.

• 4 chicken legs or 8 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons herbes de Provence
• 1 lemon, quartered
• 8-10 garlic cloves, peeled
• 4-6 medium sized shallots, peeled and halved
• 1/3 cup dry vermouth or dry white wine
• 4 sprigs of thyme for garnish

Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Put the flour in a shallow pan or on a plate and lightly dredge the chicken in it, shaking the pieces to remove the excess flour.

Swirl the oil in a large roasting pan, and place the floured chicken in the pan. Season the chicken with the herbes de Provence. Arrange the lemon, garlic cloves and shallots around the chicken and then add the vermouth to the pan. I drizzled a bit of olive oil over the chicken to help the skin get brown.

Put the pan in the oven, and roast for 30 minutes, then baste it with the pan juices. Continue roasting the chicken for another 20-25 minutes or until the chicken registers 165 with a meat thermometer.  Garnish with fresh thyme leaves. Serves 4.

Source: New York Times