London’s fog is the stuff of legends. Looking out the window of my hotel room at the field across the way, covered in a thick blanket of fog, I can understand where the stories of werewolves, monsters, and things-that-go-bump-in-the-night found a basis in fanciful reality. Mind you, the relentless grey skies can be oppressive if the sun doesn’t make its way through this afternoon – but I’ll be locked in a conference room either way.
Time to head home at the end of the week, then. This has been a very useful and full trip work-wise, and a treat to try all sorts of new foods, but it will be nice to be back home with my family, in my home, playing in the kitchen.
This dish, Chicken in a Pot, is a celebration of simplicity. Take a chicken, put it in a covered pot, and cook. That’s all. (Well, basically.) There’s not enough liquid in the pot for braising, but sealing the pot uses more moisture than roasting. The result is a chicken that may not be the prettiest, but the taste is so pure and rich that you can forgive a bit of the look.
The simplicity of this dish means that quality ingredients are most important. I’ve not done it yet, but if this dish were cooked with the standard plump mass-produced chicken available anywhere, the result would be a pretty good chicken. I was able to spend a little more and get a free-range chicken from my local supermarket (Kroger’s), where they get fresh shipments three times a week. It’s worth the little bit extra in cost.
Poulet en Cocotte (serves 4-6)
adapted from Cook’s Illustrated, Jan/Feb 2008
- 1 chicken, 3-4 lbs. Best you can get. Mine came from Maverick Farms via my local Kroger’s
- 1/2 yellow onion, chopped
- 1 rib celery, chopped
- 4 cloves garlic
- 1 bay leaf
- salt, to taste
- pepper, to taste
- 1/2 lemon, juiced, optional
- 2 tbsp olive oil
Heat oil in a heavy pot large enough to hold the chicken over medium heat. Preheat the oven to 250 degrees F. Chop vegetables.
Pat the chicken dry and season with salt, pepper.
Brown the chicken, breast side down, about 5 minutes. Add vegetables to the pot around the chicken.
Flip the chicken and brown on the back side, 6-8 minutes, until the veggies begin to brown.
Cover tightly with lid, transfer to the oven, and bake at 250 degrees F for one hour. Larger chickens may take longer – a 3 pound bird will finish in about an hour, a 4 pound bird may need an hour and fifteen minutes, and so forth. Let rest 10-15 minutes. (I’ve used foil in the picture above to make sure the lid fit tightly.)
Optional: Strain the liquid left in the pot, pressing on the vegetables to get all the juice out, and defat. Add lemon juice to taste and pass at table. (A smaller bird may not give enough juice to make this work; use your judgment.)
Note: For safety’s sake, know safe cooking temperatures – I go by the US Food & Drug Administration guidelines. This isn’t a dish where a thermometer can be left in the bird, but err on the side of caution and check just to be safe as the chicken comes out of the oven.
{ 8 comments… read them below or add one }
looks very similar to the way i make my chicken in my turbo convection oven!
http://products.mercola.com/turbo-oven/
depending on how much chicken i have to cook (i haven’t roasted a whole chicken, just chicken pieces)… i put it on 400-500F, cook the chicken for 20-25 minutes, then i flip them over and cook for another 20 minutes depending on the color and the sizzling sound it makes. and then it’s done! and the skin comes out so crispy!!! i like making my chicken this way because then i don’t have to leave the gas or the oven on for about an hour.
and my mom bought this turbo from the Asian grocery store. it’s one of the best kitchen gadgets i own!
Mmm. I’ve had a yen for roast turkey for about a week now. You’re not helping!
Ooh – isn’t this what I was served when I came over a few weeks back? It was really yummy!!
@blurker – So go roast one already!
@cybertoad – Yes, that’s the one! Glad you enjoyed it – lots of fun to make.
@daysies – The picture is a little deceptive, but the skin isn’t something you’d serve on this. The one drawback to this method is, unlike roasting which uses dry heat, there is enough moisture in the pot to keep the skin from crisping and turning brown. The color you see in the picture comes from browning the chicken whole on top of the stove before putting it in the oven. Otherwise, yes, sounds like you’ve made an excellent roast chicken – yummy!
good photos, too.
I was just going to ask if this was the chicken you made when Elaine was here. That was one goooooood chicken.
I’m trying it with an 8-pound capon for New Years dinner.
Temp went up faster than I expected on the capon in my oval magnlite roaster without foil. Overcooked and white was dry. Tried again with a better eye on it with a 6-pound roaster in my porcelain/cast iron dutch oven and it was just as advertised.