Provencal Chicken

1 cup toasted bread crumbs or panko (Japanese bread crumbs) finely ground
2 tsp.  herbes de Provence
1 tsp.  kosher salt, plus more for seasoning
½ tsp.  fresh ground black pepper, plus more for seasoning
3  bone in chicken breasts, halved crosswise
4  bone in chicken thighs, halved crosswise
¼ cup  olive oil
6  shallots, peeled and halved
8  unpeeled cloves garlic
12  pitted prunes
3 Tbsp.  picholine or other green olives with pits
1 Tbsp.  capers, drained and rinsed
1 Tbsp.  fennel seeds
1 cup  dry rose or white wine
1 Tbsp.  honey
1  orange, cut into 6 wedges, juice reserved

Prepare a medium heat fire (325F) in a wood-fired oven or cooker.  If using a wood-fired oven, keep a small fire (one small log) going in the far left rear of the oven to maintain the heat throughout the cooking process.

Combine the bread crumbs, herbes de Provence, the 1 tsp. salt and the ½ tsp. pepper in a bowl.  Pat the chicken dry, then toss in the bread-crumb mixture, and set aside on a baking sheet.

Heat the olive oil in a large cast-iron skillet or shallow clay baking dish over medium heat and brown the chicken on all sides.  Transfer the chicken to a shallow clay baking dish or ceramic-coated cast-iron cookware.  Add the shallots, garlic, prunes, olives, capers, and fennel seeds.  Combine the wine and honey plus and reserved orange juice and pour the liquid over the chicken.  Add more salt and pepper.  Cover tightly with a heavy ovenproof lid or aluminum foil and bake in the oven for 45 minutes or until the chicken is tender and mixture is bubbly.  Uncover and place the orange wedges, skin side up, around the chicken, then cook for another 15 minutes to caramelize the chicken.  Remove from the oven and let rest for 10 minutes before serving.

Recipe courtesy "Wood Fired Cooking," written by Mary Karlin, published by Ten Speed Press, 2009