Don Silvers

This is one of Alton Brown's favorite recipes.

1 whole chicken (broiler/fryer) cut into 8 pieces or 10 chicken thighs

Salt

Freshly ground black pepper

1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons olive oil

10 peeled cloves of garlic

10 shallots, peeled and split in half from stem to root

Several sprigs parsley, sage, and thyme (sorry, rosemary would put it over the edge)

Large ovenproof saute pan with tight fitting lid (straight sides are needed. If you don't have such a pan you may need to brown the chicken in one pan then finish the dish in a casserole.)

Tongs for handling meat

Preheat oven to 350

Season chicken liberally with salt and pepper. Toss with 2 tablespoons olive oil and brown on both sides in wide frying pan or skillet over high heat. Remove from heat, add garlic, shallots, herbs, and remainder of the olive oil (there's no reason to chop the herbs, just distribute them around and in between he chicken chunks.) Cover and bake for 1 1/2 hours.

Yield: 6 servings