Lemon Lavender Chicken is a delicious dish from Rachel Khoo’s Little Paris Kitchen (page 184; and adaptation can be found here) that has become one of our favorites. It’s simple, flavorful and delightful enough for a romantic evening at home or for company.  Kim tells us how it went on Friday night.

I started by baking a loaf of par baked French bread and while that was in the oven I made the marinade.  I highly recommend serving bread with the chicken—you will want it to sop up every drop of the delicious sauce.

I planned to halve the recipe but the package of chicken legs and thighs I purchased had six small pieces (I was expecting four or five), so I decided to make the entire marinade. Having made this recipe before, I knew extra sauce would not be an issue.

The first time I made this, I didn’t have time to find lavender so I substituted herbs de Provence (the version I have contains lavender, but not all versions do) and the result was exceptional, especially since I did have lavender honey. Herbs de Provence have been my go to substitution every time I’ve made this.

The marinade comes together quickly and smells wonderful. I patted the chicken pieces dry, placed them in a zip top bag and poured the marinade over.  I used part of the 30 minutes that the chicken was marinating to pull together a salad of baby romaine and a little fresh parsley with a light dressing of olive oil, grainy Dijon mustard, white wine vinegar, and salt and pepper.

After the 30 minutes elapsed, I poured the chicken and marinade into the Dutch oven and put into the oven. As the recipe suggested, I turned the chicken pieces over halfway through. As the chicken cooked, the whole apartment was filled with the delicious sweet smell of the lemon, honey, and herbs.

The chicken was perfectly cooked after 45 minutes and paired nicely with the crisp green salad—and of course the bread to make sure we got to enjoy all of the sauce.  We had a split of Veuve Clicquot (a gift from my friend Rachel at work in honor of my recent promotion—thank you, Rachel!) and it was the perfect pairing.

Lemon and Lavender Chicken may sound unusual at first, but after one bite, I think this will become a favorite of yours as well. Next time I make it, I’m going to try it with lavender instead of herbs de Provence. I have a feeling the results will be just as incredible.