I mainly poach a pastured chicken. Low and slow in the oven, the result is a bird so tender it falls apart when lifted from the pan, leaving the most delicious, wholesome and nourishing broth behind. Every so often though, to the childrens’ chants of “roast chicken, roast chicken“, I’ll raise the oven temperature and satisfy their eager demands. And I’m always glad when I do, because there’s something immensely satisfying about roast chicken. Be it the crispened bronze skin, the evocative aroma of a carefree childhood or a flavour that’s bordering on buttery. And this one is no different.
The basic method works wonders for a bird in it’s entirety or one that’s been cut either side of the backbone à la spatchcock, if that’s your thing. Personally, I choose to cook four fine, plump legs because then everyone gets the same … when you have a family of gluttons, there are times when these things matter!!
How would I eat this? Well, if it was cool outside and I felt the need for a metaphorical edible blanket around my shoulders, I would cook cauli mash. If the day was sufficiently balmy I would serve this beautiful salad, it’s dressing being the perfect accompaniment to roasted oranges.
Find today’s recipe here on Autoimmune-Paleo.
This looks delicious, much like all your other recipes. ^_^ I’ll be giving it a go with lemons. Thank you for sharing it!
Thanks Cindi, lemons work so well too. I hope you enjoy 🙂
Wow, this looks delicious. Love kalamatas and such a natural marriage with oranges.
BUT…I’m intrigued by your mention of oven poached chicken. Can you describe in detail how you do that, and is the chicken whole, or cut up (I’d assume cut up). Thanks!
Hi Susan, yes. I use a whole (uncut) chicken and put it into a large dutch oven with the usual chopped stock veg (celery, onion, carrot and herb stalks, sometimes a bay leaf). Cover with filtered water and bring up to the simmer on the stove top. Then I put the lid on and into a preheated 290F oven around six hours. The chicken (depending on size) will be cooked after 1+1/2 hours but I keep it going to get the good broth. What you have is a very very cooked chicken which is lovely and tender because it’s been poaching all this time. When you lift it up the legs and wings will fall straight off but the flesh will taste gorgeous. Skin not so. We eat it like that or I put it on a plate to go cold and then shred the meat for other meals. The concentrated broth left behind is absolutely delicious and you will find it gels to perfection after a night in the fridge. Let me know what you think?
Wow, thank you, I love this! I LOVE poached chicken and I NEVER make stock with whole chicken (just chicken backs, organs, carcass, feet, etc) because I’ve always thought it to be such a waste of a good chicken. What I love about your recipe is that the chicken is not wasted and that you’re cooking it for eating and making broth at the same time. No waste of anything. I also like this idea better than roasting because the over doesn’t get all messy. Re skin: I typically don’t eat chicken skin because it’s high omega 6. However I usually save cooked or raw skin for broth because it does offer good matrix material (then I skim my chicken stock of the fat after it’s chilled). I have 2 pastured chickens coming this weekend from my local rancher and can’t wait to try this!
Hope you enjoy this new way. One more thing to remember, cut off the parson’s nose (the sticky out bit at the back of the chicken) as there is a gland that can make a chicken taste bitter. I’m pretty sure after all that poaching some bitterness will come through into the broth.
Thanks for that great tip! But I don’t think that I know what that it like. I’m sad to say that I’ve never noticed that protrusion. I’ll see if I can find photos of it anywhere on the web.
Google “parsons nose, chicken” for pics. It looks like a fat little tail at the back of the bird, on the bottom.
Ok, now I found it. I’ve always thought of it as the tail and used it as a trussing string anchor when roasting. Looks like some chefs even recommend removing it for roasting, but not sure I’d want to do that. But for poaching (and future broth making with backs and carcasses too) I’ll definitely follow your advice!
I always remove it. Definitely a good plan to.
http://healingfamilyeats.com/lemon-and-mint-roasted-chicken-aip/
Made this the other night and it was delicious!!!
Yay, I’m so pleased. Thanks for the feedback 🙂