Braised Drunken Chicken

Ingredients

• 1 4-6 lb. whole chicken, backbone removed and halved
• Kosher or coarse sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 4 sprigs fresh rosemary, divided
• 3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, divided, plus more as needed
• 2 cups dry white wine (something you’d be happy to drink)
• 1 lemon, cut into 1/2-inch slices

Instructions

1. 1

   Season the chicken halves generously with salt and pepper.

2. 2

   Place the chicken in a large plastic or nonreactive container that has a cover.

3. 3

   Add the garlic, 2 sprigs of the rosemary, ½ cup of the olive oil, 1 cup of the white wine, and the lemon slices to the container.

4. 4

   Mix well with your hands to thoroughly coat the chicken halves.

5. 5

   Cover tightly and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or preferably overnight.

6. 6

   Remove the chicken from the refrigerator about 2 hours before you plan to begin cooking to bring it up to room temperature.

7. 7

   Remove the chicken from the marinade and wipe clean with paper towels.

8. 8

   In a skillet or sauté pan large enough to accommodate the two chicken halves in one layer, heat the remaining ¼ cup of olive oil over medium-high heat until it begins to shimmer.

9. 9

   Add the chicken halves to the pan, skin-side down, and cook until the skin takes on a deep golden-brown color, 5 to 7 minutes.

10. 10

    Flip the chicken halves and continue cooking for another 2 minutes.

11. 11

    Add the remaining 1 cup of white wine to the pan, allow it to come to a boil, and scrape the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon to loosen all the caramelized bits.

12. 12

    When all the alcohol in the wine has burned off and you can no longer smell the vapors coming off of the pan, adjust the heat to low and cover the pan.

13. 13

    Cook at a very low simmer for about 40 minutes.

14. 14

    Check the pan every 10 minutes or so to make sure that there is still some liquid in the bottom of the pan (you want enough liquid to continue the cooking and to eventually create a syrupy sauce for the finished dish, but not so much liquid that the final result will be watery; if necessary at any point, add 2 to 3 tablespoons of water to the pan to keep things from becoming too dry; conversely, if there seems to be too much liquid in the pan, especially toward the end of the 40-minute cooking time, remove the lid from the pan and continue cooking, as this should help slowly reduce the amount of liquid in the pan).

15. 15

    Turn off the heat and let the chicken rest in the covered pan for 10 to 15 minutes.

16. 16

    Transfer the chicken halves to a warmed serving platter, spoon the pan sauce over the top, and drizzle with a bit of olive oil.

17. 17

    Nestle the remaining 2 sprigs of fresh rosemary in beside the chicken and serve immediately family-style.