Pot Roasted Chicken

 

 

 

It is not often when we think of Pot Roasting that we think of pot roasting a whole chicken. Usually, we will pot roast a joint of beef or pork, or even lamb, but not chicken, and I wonder why that is.

We are not averse to stewing chicken pieces, or fricasseeing them, but it hardly ever seems that we will do a whole chicken.  Its a shame really because the end result is always tender moist and delicious.

 

True, we will not get the crisp skin which is usually associated with a roast chicken, but we aren't really supposed to be eating the skin anyways.  What you sacrifice in flavor from a sticky crisp skin, you more than make up for in flavor with a perfectly cooked moist and delicious chicken!

This also smells delicious while it is cooking and the gravy you end up with is more than to die for! This has to be one of my favorite ways of preparing a whole chicken. I guarantee you will fall in love with it also!

 

 

    WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE POT ROASTED CHICKEN

You may think that some the ingredients are a bit unusual but trust me when I say they totally work!

• 1 TBS sunflower oil
• 1 medium sized roasting chicken (about 4 pounds in weight)
• 6 ounces (175g) bacon lardons or chopped thick sliced bacon
• 1 large onion, peeled and coarsely chopped
• 8 small cloves of garlic, peeled and thinly sliced
• 2 fresh sprigs of rosemary, leaves stripped and roughly chopped
• 1 cup (240ml) of good quality apple cider
• 2/3 cup (180ml) of good quality chicken stock
• 4 small eating apples
• 3 1/2 TBS butter, softened, divided
• 2 tsp sugar
• freshly grated nutmeg
• 2 1/2 TBS plain all-purpose flour
• 2 TBS heavy cream
• 1 TBS chopped fresh flat leaf parsley
• fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

You will want to use the best chicken that you can afford to buy. I often stock up on air chilled organic chickens when they are on offer. I will buy several and freeze them. I like the "free from" chickens which have not been fed antibiotics.

Having said that however, just buy the best that you can afford to purchase.

By eating apples, I mean an apple that is one which you enjoy eating out of hand. Not a cooking apple. I like Pink Ladies myself, but a golden or red delicious apple also works very well.   You really just want a sweet eating apple that you would really enjoy eating on its own.

 

 

By apple cider you can use either hard cider or apple cider that has not turned.  A sparkling apple juice, or a cloudy apple juice. All work well. 

I don't drink alcohol so never have it in the house really, so I just use a good cloudy refrigerated stye of apple juice, or fresh apple juice as it is also called. Don't worry it won't make the dish too sweet and actually works very well with all of the remaining ingredients to make a really delicious gravy!

The recipe calls for bacon lardons which is just cubed thick slice streaky bacon. If you cannot get that, just use regular streaky bacon, thick cut, if possible, chopped.

HOW TO MAKE POT ROASTED CHICKEN

It may sound complicated, but it's really a very simple dish. If anyone knows me, they know I don't do complicated if I can possibly help it.

Preheat the oven to 350*F/180*C/ gas mark 4. Place the oil into a small flameproof casserole or roaster (with a lid) which is large enough to fit the chicken snugly.

Pat your chicken dry and season inside and out with some salt and pepper.

Heat the oil in the casserole and then brown the chicken in the heated oil on all sides. Once it is browned all over, remove to a plate and set aside.

Add the bacon to the casserole and cook, stirring frequently, over medium heat until golden brown. Toss in the onions. Cook and stir for a few minutes longer until they begin to soften. Add the garlic and rosemary and cook, stirring, for several minutes longer. Add the cider.

Cook over high heat at a vigorous boil until the liquid has reduced by two thirds. Place the chicken back into the casserole. Pour in the stock. Cover with a layer of aluminum foil and then place the lid snugly on top. Roast in the preheated oven for 1 hour. (The juices should run clear.)

 

While the chicken is cooking, peel, core and quarter the apples.

Melt half of the butter in a skillet. Add the apples and fry them for a few minutes until they start to brown. Turn the slices over and sprinkle with the sugar and nutmeg. Continue to cook for several minutes longer until they are nicely golden and tender. Remove from the heat and set aside. Keep warm

When the chicken is cooked through and tender, lift it out onto a large platter. Cover tightly with foil and leave to rest for about 10 minutes.

Put the flameproof casserole over medium heat and simmer until the cooking juices are reduced and full of lovely flavors.

Rub the remaining butter and the flour together. Drop this into the reduced chicken juices, whisking constantly, simmering until the mixture starts to bubble and thicken. Whisk in the heavy cream. Taste and adjust seasoning as necessary with additional salt and black pepper. Stir in the parsley and the apple.

Carve the chicken and serve on heated plates with some of that delicious sauce spooned over top.

 

Just look at that gorgeous sauce and tender chicken . . . with its chunks of sweet apple, bits of bacon. This is a creamy and unctuously wonderful combination that is incredibly pleasing. 

I served it with some boiled potatoes, mashed swede and some steamed peas and carrots.  It was a really fabulous meal that everyone enjoyed! 

Pot roasting chicken not your thing?  Perhaps you would enjoy these other roast chicken dishes:

BUNDT PAN ROAST CHICKEN - A whole chicken is roasted upturned on the stem of a Bundt pan, over some vegetables.  The chicken bastes itself while it is roasting along with the vegetables, The end result being tender juicy chicken along with some incredibly delicious sticky roasted vegetables.

GRANDMOTHER'S ROAST CHICKEN & GRAVY - This roast chicken recipe is really a good one. It differs only slightly from my usual one. I do normally use lemon and thyme for my roast chickens, and plenty of butter, but I have also used garlic in the past.  This recipe uses chopped lemon thyme. If you can't get that, then add a bit of finely grated lemon zest to the chopped thyme.  A whole lemon is quartered and put into the cavity which helps to create even more flavor and moistness. Crisp skin. Tender meat. Delicious gravy, just what you would expect from Grandma!

Yield: 4

Author: Marie Rayner

Pot Roasted Chicken

Prep time: 15 MinCook time: 1 H & 15 MTotal time: 1 H & 30 M

Ingredients

• 1 TBS sunflower oil
• 1 medium sized roasting chicken (about 4 pounds in weight)
• 6 ounces (175g) bacon lardons or chopped thick sliced bacon
• 1 large onion, peeled and coarsely chopped
• 8 small cloves of garlic, peeled and thinly sliced
• 2 fresh sprigs of rosemary, leaves stripped and roughly chopped
• 1 cup (240ml) of good quality apple cider
• 2/3 cup (180ml) of good quality chicken stock
• 4 small eating apples
• 3 1/2 TBS butter, softened, divided
• 2 tsp sugar
• freshly grated nutmeg
• 2 1/2 TBS plain all-purpose flour
• 2 TBS heavy cream
• 1 TBS chopped fresh flat leaf parsley
• fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350*F/180*C/ gas mark 4. Place the oil into a small flameproof casserole or roaster (with a lid) which is large enough to fit the chicken snugly.
2. Pat your chicken dry and season inside and out with some salt and pepper.
3. Heat the oil in the casserole and then brown the chicken in the heated oil on all sides. Once it is browned all over, remove to a plate and set aside.
4. Add the bacon to the casserole and cook, stirring frequently, over medium heat until golden brown. Toss in the onions. Cook and stir for a few minutes longer until they begin to soften. Add the garlic and rosemary and cook, stirring, for several minutes longer. Add the cider.
5. Cook over high heat at a vigorous boil until the liquid has reduced by two thirds. Place the chicken back into the casserole. Pour in the stock. Cover with a layer of aluminum foil and then place the lid snugly on top. Roast in the preheated oven for 1 hour.
6. While the chicken is cooking, peel, core and quarter the apples.
7. Melt half of the butter in a skillet. Add the apples and fry them for a few minutes until they start to brown. Turn the slices over and sprinkle with the sugar and nutmeg. Continue to cook for several minutes longer until they are nicely golden and tender. Remove from the heat and set aside. Keep warm
8. When the chicken is cooked through and tender, lift it out onto a large platter. Cover tightly with foil and leave to rest for about 10 minutes.
9. Put the flameproof casserole over medium heat and simmer until the cooking juices are reduced and full of lovely flavors.
10. Rub the remaining butter and the flour together. Drop this into the reduced chicken juices, whisking constantly, simmering until the mixture starts to bubble and thicken. Whisk in the heavy cream. Taste and adjust seasoning as necessary with additional salt and black pepper. Stir in the parsley and the apple.
11. Carve the chicken and serve on heated plates with some of that delicious sauce spooned over top.

Did you make this recipe?

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