Classic Clay Cooker Roast Chicken Recipes

CLAY POT HERBED ROAST CHICKEN

Steps:

• Soak the baker and lid for 30 minutes in cold water.
• In a small bowl, mix olive oil, lemon zest, lemon juice, mustard, herbs and salt & pepper. Rub HALF of this mixture over the chicken. Toss the remaining mixture with the vegetables
• Place chicken in prepared roaster, breast side up and surround the chicken with the vegetables. Pour the wine around the chicken and over the vegetables.
• Place the cover on the baker and place in cold oven.
• Set oven to 450℉ and cook for 90 minutes.
• Remove the lid and cook chicken another 10-15 minutes to crisp and further brown.
• Let chicken rest about 15 minutes before carving.

CLAY OVEN-ROASTED CHICKEN

Steps:

• Soak clay oven in water to cover for 10 to 15 minutes.
• Place lemon in chicken cavity. Tuck wings under, and tie legs together with string, if desired. Place chicken in clay pot, breast side up, and sprinkle with tarragon. Cover with lid.
• Place in a COLD oven. Turn oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit, and bake 1 hour. Uncover and bake 15 more minutes or until meat thermometer inserted into chicken thigh registers 180 degrees.

CLASSIC ROAST CHICKEN WITH PAN SAUCE

Steps:

• Truss chicken: Preheat oven to 450 F, preferably convection. Rinse chicken and pat dry with paper towels. (Optional: stuff cavity with a whole lemon to prop up the breast.) Cut about 3 feet of twine, lay it flat on a clean surface, and position chicken breast side up on the middle of the twine. Tie the legs together with a single knot. Flip the chicken over, bring twine down the length of the bird, wrap it under the wings, tighten, and tie off the twine behind the neck; trim excess twine. (The goal of trussing is to make the chicken as compact as possible, preventing hot air from circulating in the cavity and drying out the breasts.)
• Season chicken: Lift the chicken with one hand and generously sprinkle salt over it with the other, rotating the chicken to make sure it's evenly coated; place the salted chicken in a cast-iron skillet. Roast until the juices run clear, about 1 hour. (Note: As the chicken roasts at a high temperature, the fat will naturally smoke. Cleaning your oven before roasting will minimize the smoke.)
• Pan sauce: Transfer chicken to a wire rack set over a rimmed baking sheet and let it rest. Meanwhile, put skillet with pan drippings on the stove over medium heat. Peel and thinly slice onion. Use a vegetable peeler to shave off ribbons of carrot until you reach the core; discard the core. Place onions and carrot shavings in the skillet; stir with the wooden spatula, scraping up the browned chicken drippings (or "fond") on the bottom of the skillet. Deglaze the skillet with wine, stir, and allow the liquid to reduce completely, about 3-5 minutes. When it has reduced, add 1 cup of water, stir, and let the liquid reduce again until thickened, 3-5 minutes. Meanwhile, carve the chicken.
• Carve chicken: Cut away the twine and discard. Separate the leg and thigh from the breast by using the knife to pop open the leg joint, making it easier to sever; separate the leg and thigh into two pieces if you wish. Cut off the wings and neck. (Optional: place neck into the skillet while the sauce is reducing for extra flavor.) Run the blade along the breastbone to remove the breasts, leaving skin intact. If you wish, cut the breasts into thick slices. Transfer to a serving platter.
• Optional: Use the carcass to make chicken stock. Place it in an oven-safe pot along with vegetables (such as carrot, celery, and/or onion) and add enough water to cover. Put the pot in a 200 F oven for 6 hours or overnight. Strain the stock and store in a lidded container in the refrigerator or freezer.Once pan sauce has thickened and looks caramel-brown, turn off the heat. Leaving the vegetables in the skillet, spoon the sauce over the chicken; serve immediately.

MEDIEVAL CHICKEN IN A CLAY ROASTER

Steps:

• Soak the clay pot according to the manufacturer's instructions.
• Spatchcock the chicken, making sure to remove the keel bone and breast cartilage, but not cutting the bird into halves. Rinse.
• Season the chicken inside and out to taste with the salt and pepper.
• Combine the softened butter and the minced garlic. The amount of garlic should be adjusted based upon your preference.
• Using your fingers, spread the garlic butter between the meat and the skin of the breast and leg meat.
• Wrap the chicken around the quartered onions and fresh rosemary and place in the prepared clay pot.
• Pour the white wine and the orange juice over the prepared bird, allowing the excess liquid to pool at the bottom of the pot.
• Place covered clay pot in COLD oven and turn the heat on to 450 degrees. Bake until the chicken is cooked (use an oven thermometer) through, checking often after the one hour mark. The time will vary based upon the size of the bird(s). (In our oven, baking time is typically between 75 and 90 minutes.).
• As the bird gets close to being done, take the cover off the pot and allow it to brown.
• Allow the chicken or hens to cool for 10 minutes in the pot with the juices after removing from the oven. Collect the juices and skim off as much fat as possible.
• Cut up and serve the bird with some of the lovely skimmed juice on the side. Thicken it if you want, but we like it just as is.