Aldo's Cold Herb-Roasted Chicken & Green Beans with Parsley

Ingredients

2 small young chickens, cut up by your butcher: breasts, thighs, legs (12 pieces total)
Extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO)
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon Herbes de Provence
Coarse salt
Few sprigs (about 1 tablespoon) flat-leaf parsley, chopped

Yields: 4-6 servings

Preparation

Preheat oven to 400°F.

Rinse chicken pieces with water, pat them dry and coat lightly with EVOO. Combine salt, pepper and herbs in a small dish. Rub seasoning into the skin of chicken pieces. Arrange them in a single layer on a rack in roasting pan. Place in the center of oven and reduce heat to 350°F. Roast chicken 30-40 minutes, depending on size of pieces, basting every 15 minutes. Place aluminum foil tent over top of pan once skin begins to brown to keep it from becoming too dark. Remove chicken from oven when meat thermometer reads 165°F, or when juices run clear when skin is pricked at deepest part of thigh. Let chicken cool to room temperature before removing from the roasting pan.

To prepare the beans, add just enough water to cover the bottom of a skillet. Set beans in the pan and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to lowest setting, cover and steam for 3 minutes. Drain the beans in a colander and run them under cool water. Pat the beans dry and transfer to a shallow bowl. Drizzle with a little EVOO and sprinkle a touch of coarse salt and a little parsley on them. Beans can be made ahead of time and stored in the fridge in airtight container. Bring them back to room temperature before serving.

To serve, arrange chicken down the center of a long oval platter and surround with beans.