A whole chicken is roasted with garlic, lemon, and herbs in a dutch oven with a lid sealed to the pot. The result is juicy, moist, tender chicken roast that is worthy for fancy Sunday dinner.
It seems like roasted chicken is one of the most popular Sunday supper around the globe. There are many ways that people roast their chicken. Some plain and the other robust, every chicken that comes out of oven or stove should stay succulent and juicy. However the result is not always what you wanted.
I tried roasting my organic free-ranch chicken a little different this time. I wanted to keep the flavor mild and simple, so I stuffed with lemon, garlic and some fresh herbs. I seared the bird to get the brown crisp crust, then let it sit on top of pile of onion, carrot, and celery mixture in a dutch oven. I sealed the rim of the pot with some plain flour dough to block any steam to escape during the roasting. I saw this technique in cookbook called “Around My French Table” by Dorie Greenspan. As a result the bird turns out very moist from the breast to drumsticks.
I remember My mother used a same method to seal off her pot with the flour dough when she steamed her rice cakes. Her homemade rice cake always came out very moist and soft. She always made a ton of them to share with neighbors.
The breast meat was amazingly moist and tender. No more those dry tasteless breast meat! The vegetables are soft and the lemony broth can make a perfect sauce to drizzle over, or turn into a nice gravy.
All you need is some starch dish, such as mashed or roasted potatoes, or any kind of salad. A fabulous Sunday supper without much fuss! Now that is my kind of cooking. I loved it!
Chicken Pot Roast
- 3-1/2 lb whole organic free-range chicken
- olive oil
- salt and pepper
- 1-2 lemon, halved
- 1 whole garlic, cut in half
- a few sprigs of thyme, rosemary, and sage
- 1 onion, diced
- 2 carrot, diced
- 2 celery, diced
- 3 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1 cup chicken stock
- 1-1/2 cup flour
- 3/4 cup hot water
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Preheat the oven to 450˚F.
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Sprinkle the cavity of chicken with a generous amount of salt and pepper and stuff with lemon, garlic and herbs. Drizzle the skin with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
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Heat the skillet very hot and brown the chicken on all sides.
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Put diced vegetables in a dutch oven just to barely cover the bottom and place the chicken on top. Surround the chicken with more vegetables.
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Add a few more sprigs of herb into the pot if desired. Drizzle with lemon juice and pour chicken stock.
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Mix flour and water in a bowl until it forms a sticky dough. Place the dough on the rim of the pot. Press the lid on to the dough to seal the pot. Place the pot in the hot oven and bake for 55-60 minutes.
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Use a screwdriver to break off the seal. Take the chicken out and let it rest for a few minutes. Carve as desired. Drizzle with the hot vegetable broth remained in the pot along with the vegetables. Mashed potato will make a nice accompaniment.
The cooking technique is adapted from a cookbook “Around My French Table” by Dorie Greenspan.
