Braised chicken with garlic and lemon

Peel the lemon to the flesh, removing all skin and white pith, then cut into slices.

Peel the garlic, halve the cloves and remove the green sprout from each.

Season the chicken with salt and pepper and dust lightly with flour.

Bring the stock to the boil to sterilise and concentrate it.

Rinse the garlic cloves and add them to the boiling stock. Boil one to two minutes, turn off the heat and set aside to infuse.

Heat olive oil and butter in a dutch oven over medium heat.

Brown the chicken in batches without crowding the pan, about five minutes a side, around ten minutes in total. Use a timer.

Remove the chicken and pour off the excess fat, leaving the brown bits in the pan.

Add the bay leaves, raise the heat until the pan sizzles, then add the shallots and cook one to two minutes maximum.

Deglaze with the wine and reduce until only a few tablespoons of syrupy liquid remain.

Add the garlic and the stock, bring to the boil and reduce a few minutes to a tight sauce.

Preheat the oven to 190 degrees Celsius.

Off the heat, add pepper and a little extra salt, then the herbs and the lemon slices, and stir through.

Lay the chicken pieces on top skin side up, keeping the skins dry.

Baste the chicken tops with the reserved fat.

Cover with a lid and cook in the oven 40 to 45 minutes.

Remove the chicken. Bring the sauce to the boil and reduce slightly to the desired consistency; serve poured over or on the side.

variation: for the creamed version, reduce a little, then add cream and bring to the boil. The cream must roughly match the volume of liquid or the sauce looks half creamy and half watery.

Season with salt and pepper and reduce a further three minutes.

Taste and adjust. The sauce is ready when a finger drawn through the coating on a spoon leaves a clear mark.

Transfer the chicken and sauce to a flat shallow dish and decorate with lemon and a few herbs.