I have a weakness for roasted chicken. However, buying roasted chicken at the supermarket is usually incredibly expensive and when we tried roasting one in our own oven it made a big mess that boiled over, leaked and then burned. Solution: cast iron dutch oven. We have a No. 7 dutch oven and it was just large enough to hold your average size chicken. Here's how we did it:
1. Brown the outside of your chicken - if you'd like crispy skin - using a skillet.
2. Preheat your oven to 350*.
3. Place your browned chicken in your dutch oven. Make sure you use a trivet so it doesn't burn to the bottom.
4. Cover your chicken in salt. I have used salted butter before but you can just use salt and cut back on the fat.
5. Cover your dutch oven and put the whole thing in the oven.
6. Cook for several hours - depending on how many lbs. your chicken is. Always check the internal temperature to make sure it is thoroughly cooked.
7. Remove from oven and take the chicken out. Cut and serve as desired.
What is nice about this is that all your mess is in the dutch oven. All the juices and fat that have come out of the chicken are saved at the bottom - not a huge mess in your stove. Because the juices are saved inside it also makes the chicken nice and moist. I saved my chicken juices and froze it along with the left over bones to make chicken stock in the future. We had enough chicken for several meals with this: first night, chicken with a side of beans, second night roasted chicken salad and third night chicken salad sandwiches. Three meals for two on one whole chicken and none of it thrown away. Can't beat that!
2 comments:
who doenst love the comfort of a roast chicken - I can roast big fat ones but mediums sized ones are already roasted and only five bucks at the store - no hot house - no mess and quick as lightening. My kid can eat half all by himself...I need to get one of these dutch ovens just in case.
$5! I wish we had prices like that... Yes, dutch ovens come in handy. :)
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