southern revival

Chicken breasts with black pepper and peanut butter gravy

Raised in rural Virginia, Sean Brock has been involved in the repatriation of the Southern pantry and cuisine for more than two decades. His first cookbook, Heritage, published in 2014, is a New York Times bestseller.

SERVES 4

“The taste of crispy-skinned pan-roasted chicken with pan gravy will never, ever get old for me.” Start this recipe a day ahead.

4 250gm skin-on, bone-in chicken breasts
1 tbsp canola oil, or as needed
5 thyme sprigs
¾ cup flat-leaf parsley leaves
½ cup mint leaves
¼ cup shelled raw peanuts (about 100gm in the shell), roughly chopped
4 tsp cold-pressed peanut oil
1 tsp lime juice
Coarse finishing salt

GRAVY

¼ cup very finely diced sweet onion (see note)
1½ tbsp plain flour
½ cup milk
½ cup chicken stock
¼ cup plus 2 tbsp smooth peanut butter
1 tbsp plus 2 tsp cold-pressed peanut oil
1 tsp lime juice
¾ tsp freshly ground black pepper

1 Liberally season the chicken breasts with sea salt, place on a rack set over a non-reactive baking dish and refrigerate, uncovered, for 24 hours.

The next day, remove chicken from