Made the CI Roasted Chicken in a dutch oven on Monday, WOW!!!!

H

heather_in_sf

Well-known member
Has anyone else tried it? It was so good, probably one of the best "roast" chickens I have ever made or had. (pats on the back here) And it was e-a-s-y.

I'll post the recipe in case you haven't seen it, but all you do is brown a chicken breast side down in a big dutch oven, and add finely chopped onion, celery and whole garlic and some herbs. Turn the chicken over and brown very well the other side. Put the lid on and bake at 250 for 80 - 110 minutes for a 4 - 5 lb bird, or until it's 170. Rest 20 minutes. Defat the drippings (I had over a cup so I reduced them and added a spoonful of brandy), add lemon juice if desired and pour over the carved bird.

WOW! I have this fabulous 7 qt Staub dutch oven shaped like a pumpkin and I'm totally in love with it, and so glad to find yet another amazing use for it. No steam or anything escapes from this pot! anyway, it did an amazing job on the chicken and now I want to try the no-knead bread everyone wrote about last year, which is also in this month's CI. A great issue this time! I also made their French Onion Soup this weekend and it was a big hit, and the leftovers were even better.

 
REC: French Chicken in a Pot - aka poulet en cocotte

REC: French Chicken in a Pot
1/2008

The cooking times in the recipe are for a 4 1/2- to 5-pound bird. A 3 1/2- to 4 1/2-pound chicken will take about an hour to cook, and a 5- to 6-pound bird will take close to 2 hours. We developed this recipe to work with a 5- to 8-quart Dutch oven with a tight-fitting lid. If using a 5-quart pot, do not cook a chicken larger than 5 pounds. Use the best chicken available, such as a Bell & Evans. If using a kosher chicken, reduce the kosher salt to 1 teaspoon (or 1/2 teaspoon table salt). If you choose not to serve the skin with the chicken, simply remove it before carving. The amount of jus will vary depending on the size of the chicken; season it with about 1/4 teaspoon lemon juice for every 1/4 cup.


Serves 4

1 whole roasting chicken (4 1/2 to 5 pounds), giblets removed and discarded, wings tucked under back (see note)
2 teaspoons kosher salt or 1 teaspoon table salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small onion , chopped medium (about 1/2 cup)
1 small stalk celery , chopped medium (about 1/4 cup)
6 medium garlic cloves , peeled and trimmed
1 bay leaf
1 medium sprig fresh rosemary (optional)
1/2 - 1 teaspoon juice from 1 lemon
(I used a few springs of fresh marjoram, a bay leaf and a tsp of rosemary dried from this summer)

1. Adjust oven rack to lowest position and heat oven to 250 degrees. Pat chicken dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Heat oil in large Dutch oven over medium heat until just smoking. Add chicken breast-side down; scatter onion, celery, garlic, bay leaf, and rosemary (if using) around chicken. Cook until breast is lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Using a wooden spoon inserted into cavity of bird, flip chicken breast-side up and cook until chicken and vegetables are well browned, 6 to 8 minutes. Remove Dutch oven from heat; place large sheet of foil over pot and cover tightly with lid. Transfer pot to oven and cook until instant-read thermometer registers 160 degrees when inserted in thickest part of breast and 175 degrees in thickest part of thigh, 80 to 110 minutes.

2. Transfer chicken to carving board, tent with foil, and rest 20 minutes. Meanwhile, strain chicken juices from pot through fine-mesh strainer into fat separator, pressing on solids to extract liquid; discard solids (you should have about 3/4 cup juices). Allow liquid to settle 5 minutes, then pour into saucepan and set over low heat. Carve chicken, adding any accumulated juices to saucepan. Stir lemon juice into jus to taste. Serve chicken, passing jus at table.




STEP BY STEP: Moist Chicken with Concentrated Flavor

1. Brown: Sear chicken on both sides to enhance flavor.

2. Seal: Cover pot with foil before adding lid to trap chicken juices inside.

3. Slow Cook: Cook chicken at 250 degrees for 80 to 110 minutes.

4. Rest: Transfer chicken to carving board to rest so juices can redistribute.

STEP BY STEP: Dry Cooking versus Braising

DRY ENVIRONMENT: In a dry pot with no added liquid, juices that come out of the chicken go right back into it, undiluted by other flavors.

WET ENVIRONMENT: The wet environment of a braise
creates an ongoing exchange between the flavors of the chicken as well as other ingredients, such as wine, broth, and vegetables.

http://www.cooksillustrated.com/recipe.asp?name=chicken+in+pot&recipeids=4742#topOfPage

 
Ooh, thanks for posting - I love roast chicken! Sounds yum....

I will definitely try it! And guess what - I have pumpkin pot envy no more smileys/smile.gif

I got the little 3qt one, and just love it. I made chili in it tonite, and cheezz's chicken corn soup in it last week. I guess it's too small for this roast chicken recipe, so I'll have to make it in something else.

It's so cute, it makes me smile smileys/smile.gif

https://recipeswap.org/fun/wp-content/uploads/Finer_Kitchens/100_1438.jpg

 
I must try this one, thanks for sharing your results. I made this pot roast from CI this week,

it was really delicious. I'm becoming addicted to parsnips, too bad, they're very hard to find in Florida.

It seems CI takes a simple recipe and complicates it, but it usually pays off.

I had a 7-bone roast (also suggested in the notes below) and cut the root vegetables larger, adding them during the last hour of cooking. I also thickened the sauce to make more of a gravy. Great pot roast.

Pot Roast with Root Vegetables

3 to 3 1/2 pound) boneless beef chuck-eye roast
Table salt and ground black pepper
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 medium onion, chopped medium
1 small carrot, chopped medium
1 small rib celery, chopped medium
2 medium cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons granulated sugar
1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
1 cup low-sodium beef broth
1 sprig fresh thyme leaves
1 1/2 cups water
1/4 cup dry red wine
1 1/2 pounds carrots, sliced 1/2 inch thick
1 1/2 small red potatoes, halved if larger than 1 1/2 inches in diameter
1 pound large parsnips, sliced 1/2 inch thick
Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 300 degrees F. Thoroughly pat roast dry with paper towels; sprinkle generously with salt and pepper.
Heat oil in large heavy-bottomed Dutch oven over medium-high heat until shimmering but not smoking. Brown roast thoroughly on all sides, reducing heat if fat begins to smoke, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer roast to large plate; set aside. Reduce heat to medium; add onion, carrot, and celery to pot and cook, stirring occasionally, until beginning to brown, 6 to 8 minutes. Add garlic and sugar; cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add chicken and beef broths and thyme, scraping bottom of pan with wooden spoon to loosen browned bits. Return roast and any accumulated juices to pot; add enough water to come halfway up sides of roast. Bring liquid to simmer over medium heat, then place large piece of foil over pot and cover tightly with lid; transfer pot to oven. Cook, turning roast every 30 minutes, until roast is almost tender (sharp knife should meet little resistance), 3 to 3 1/2 hours. Add carrots, red potatoes, and parsnips to Dutch oven, submerging them in liquid. Continue to cook until vegetables are almost tender, 20 to 30 minutes.
Transfer roast to carving board; tent with foil to keep warm. Allow liquid in pot to settle about 5 minutes, then use wide spoon to skim fat off surface; discard thyme sprig. Add wine and salt and pepper to taste; boil over high heat until vegetables are fully tender, 5 to 10 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer vegetables to warmed serving bowl or platter. Using chefs or carving knife, cut meat into 1/2-inch-thick slices or pull apart into large pieces; transfer to bowl or platter with vegetables and pour about 1/2 cup sauce over meat and vegetables. Serve, passing remaining sauce separately.
Yield: 6 servings

Note
For pot roast, we recommend a chuck-eye roast. Most markets sell this roast with twine tied around the center. Seven-bone and top-blade roasts are also good choices for this recipe. Remember to add only enough water to come halfway up the sides of these thinner roasts, and begin checking for doneness after 2 hours. If using a top-blade roast, tie it before cooking to keep it from falling apart. Mashed or boiled potatoes are good accompaniments to pot roast.

 
Thanks for the report! I think I'll try it tonight.

I was going to make my standard barefoot contessa roasted chicken, but I'll try this instead.

 
Oh Sandi, isn't it wonderful!!!!

And you barely have to wash them, everthing just slips right out even after a long simmer.

Hugs from the Sisterhood of the Pumpkin Pots! LOL

 
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