Q: I’m bored with my usual ways of cooking chicken. Any suggestions?
A: How about Chicken Antiboise, where you place the bird upside down in a cast iron pot to hold it snugly over sliced onions? You will need 5 onions – that’s about 1kg (2¼lb) and 4 tbsp olive oil for a medium chicken. Add a slug of olive oil with the onions, salt and pepper, and more oil over the bird. Cover with the lid or use foil for a secure seal.
Cook in a moderate oven (180C/350F/gas 4) for 90 minutes until the onions have cooked down into a sweet onion ‘gravy’. The chicken will be tender and juicy. Leave covered for 15 minutes before carving, discarding the soft skin. Serve the chicken topped with the onion. Mashed potato is good with this, although in Nice it is served with black olives and triangles of fried bread.